Orthopaedic Surgery

Competitiveness: Extreme

Orthopaedic Surgery is among the most competitive residency positions to achieve, especially for International Medical Graduates (IMGs). The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery suggests residency applicants interested in Orthopaedic Surgery should start early and locate a mentor. It is also important to establish connections and network throughout the Surgery, and Orthopaedic Surgery professional community. For example, an orthopaedic research or mini-research fellowship project should be included in your residency application. Like many other specialties, the appropriate Letters of Recommendation from well-known orthopaedic surgeons can also go a long way. Throughout medical school, ortho-applicants should strive for the highest grades and performance. Orthopaedic Surgery is a demanding specialty that expects the best from its future residents.

ENTER YOUR CREDENTIALS Customize your Orthopaedic Surgery program list

Applicant Type

US Clinical Experience

Yes No

USMLE Step 1

USMLE Step 2 CK

Visa Sponsorship?

Time Since Graduation

IMG Profile

Average Stats for a Matched US IMG in 2018:

USMLE Step 1 score: 239
USMLE Step 2 CK score: 245
Research: 5.3
Abstracts/Presentations/etc: 37.1
Work: 2.4
Volunteer: 3.7

Average Stats for a Matched Non-US IMG in 2018:

USMLE Step 1 score: 239
USMLE Step 2 CK score: 237
Research: 1.0
Abstracts/Presentations/etc: 14.0
Work: 7.0
Volunteer: 1.0

Specialty Factors

Every specialty has unique factors they want each candidate to have in their residency application. NRMP conducts regular Program Director surveys to identify which parts of the residency application are most important in differing specialties. Among the information gathered, Program Directors were asked to to cite factors they used to select candidates for interviews. They were also asked to rate each factor on a scale from 1 (least important) to 5 (most important).

The Top 5 Most Important Orthopaedic Surgery Application Factors

Percentage of Programs Citing Each Factor

USMLE Step 1 score (91%)
Specialty specific Letters of Recommendation (89%)
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership (81%)
Grades in required clerkships (79%)
Audition elective/rotation within department (77%)

Average Importance Rating for Each Factor (scale of 1 to 5)

USMLE Step 3 score (5.0)
Flagged by NRMP (4.9)
Any failed attempt in USMLE (4.8)
Audition elective/rotation within department (4.6), Evidence of professionalism and ethics (4.6), Visa Status (4.6)
USMLE Step 1 score (4.5)

Fast Facts

Total Training	5 years (minimum) + 2 years clinical practice
Average Residency Salary	$57,000
Average Work Week	57 Hours
Peak Interview Months	December, February
Key Organizations and Societies:	American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery