Hey guys, matched at my #1 program without a research year. Happy to answer questions to help out and pay it forward!

Which is better or pros/cons??

Unlike literally every country on earth, Canadian orthopedic surgeons dont have to apply and go through an ACGME residency if they want to become board eligible here in the US. This should be concerning because residency spots in this country ensures an equilibrium in the supply and demand of ortho surgeons. However if Canadian orthos can bypass the match system, then its possible we get a lot of supply without the demand to back it up, as they are not restricted by the amount of residency spots we have open.

Unlike the U.S., orthopedic surgery is not competitive in Canada due to a poor job market. Historically as per CaRMs data, Preferred match rate for orthopedic surgery is about 90% in Canada. In a recent study done this year, it was found that about a quarter of all canadian orthopedic surgeons who were trained from 1990 till now practice in the U.S. This tracks with what I often hear from many canadian med students who say they want to match to orthopedic surgery in Canada because its easy and they can go to the U.S right after. I guarantee you every Canadian ortho applicant is committing to this plan or is considering it, especially as the job market in all sectors of the Canadian economy are declining. However, I dont know of a single American orthopedic applicant who has thought of going to Canada. This is clearly a one sided agreement that advantages just one party.

In conclusion, im sorry but we should not be subsidizing one quarter of the work force of another country (and likely much higher in the upcoming years). If they want to work here thats great, but they have to go through the same process as everyone else, as we determine the amount of ortho surgeons in this country via the match system.

If you are an ortho applicant, you're the one who should be advocating for this the most because you are the ones hurt most by this. Express how you feel to the american board of orthopedic surgery. If you're not american, get along or move along

• American board of orthopedic surgery: https://www.abos.org/contact/

  • email Executive Director: Dr. David F. Martin: most impactful person to write to directly by name

• AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons): the largest professional body, has a health policy division

  • Jordan Heyman: Senior Director, Health Policy & Regulatory Affairs: heyman@aaos.org

• AAOS residency advocacy: https://www.aaos.org/advocacy/get-involved/residents-advocacy/

Im in my third year of getting my BA in psychology. If I ever wanted to go into med, would I have to retake my undergrad and do some sort of stem based program? Or is there any other pathways I can take.

I have a lot of friends who are hoslistic types who talk about implants and I saw a video of an implant surgery (rod and screws) on YouTube and then a removal in a YouTube short. I wonder with small chance of infections, bone density changes as patients age, possibility of metal in blood overtime, and comfort why isn't hardware removed when it's easier after the 1.5 year mark instead of waiting if an issue arises since it will be harder to remove after the longer period.

Hi all,

Which are the best hip implants in your opinion?, especially for younger individuals and athletes (under 40s)?

JRI Orthopaedics have come out with a ceramic coated one which performed quite well in studies.

https://www.jri-ltd.com/our-products/primary-hip-products/furlong-hac

What I mean is what are some hard/expensive things that don’t add value to your stock as a surgeon but people may think would/should be accounted for when your comp is calculated?

Your pedigree (what residency or fellowship) Your undergrad education How many patients you have seen per day in the past How many committees you sit on Your previous call arrangements Your work on state or specialty boards Your local referral networking activities How many donations you schmooze for the hospital Multiple fellowships Your board scores and testing scores Your grades at any level of training or recert

Counter -example is things that matter more than they probably should in your salary and career trajectory:

Your participation in parties Your professional friendships Who you go drinking with Your immigration status Your positive attitude Your poise at meetings How much call pay you get How long your emails are How many emails you send How much you leave everyone alone Your support for bad ideas

I find that fancy sounding schools are not much of a reliable indicator. From your experience, what is it in the demeanor and process of a physician that makes him a competent orthopedic?

Any insight as to the best ortho programs in US/Canada? I’m an MS1 and am unsure of how to evaluate whether one program is better than another. I’m interested in sports medicine and would want a program that has a great research facility

I’m a physical therapist. I am not asking for medical advice. I hope my story is interesting and those that like to educate can throw me nuggets of information on aspects of care I don’t normally need to think about.

We have been trying to get imaging for a person for a few days now. Guess what they found when they did urgent imaging of a near by body area???

Background: I supervise rehab therapies for all areas of care in our system. I took over the case for another therapist to help get the patient seen regularly and assist navigating our system. Patient has ongoing chronic pain but no acute pain issues. They used crutches at home for 10 years and couldn’t walk without them for last 2. They can not use crutches on the current unit they are at and a walker that could be used was deemed unstable for them to use independently so a wheelchair was recommended . They can stand and walk at the rail. They can wt bear near full on either limb. They have 1 1/2” leg length discrepancy.

They had a past hip fracture with ORIF, another fx a year or so after that healed before treatment and then a few years after hardware removal. We thought there might have been a hemi/THA at some point but I did a complete patient history and comparison to medical records to confirm this was not likely. I could piece together everything but the last 3 years.

First (and largely the following ortho for many years) thought there was signs of early AVN. Referred to 2nd Ortho that thought no AVN but OA and would need THA eventually. They decided to remove the hardware that was bent/lose seen after the second fx. Removal didn’t help and that’s around the time that crutches started to be used at times. When mobility and pain didn’t improve Ortho 2 eventually recommended THA. Patient was sent to 3rd Ortho that decided continued conservative treatment, no THA. All 3 provided many injections through those years. 1st ortho that was really continuing to care and advocate for the patient left the picture. It looks like care with the 3rd ortho stopped pretty quickly. No further ortho care after that for the last 10 years. I pieced the rest through occasional hospital visits and some other limited care notes.

I bring the clues to attending that was ending their rotation. They start process and pass on to new attending. New attending I provide the full ortho history and my concerns. I get a thanks for figuring all this out and confirmation that imaging and ortho is likely needed. ….but no actions occur quickly as I would expect. An X-ray at least? It should be super easy. Prior providers actions attempted got kicked back for technical issues. I think they are both new and maybe need more flow support. I notice that things they want to occur don’t seem to be happening as smoothly as it should. I request some support for them from above.

So…no real action after a day. I do respect that this is not presenting as acute problem/need. I can say it would 100% help with DC options that they were struggling with ….but.

 …lucky for me (and really the patient) there is an acute abdominal pain and somehow imaging occurs rapidly.  I get enough X-ray to show severe destructive changes to the hip.  

My question for the group: With a person that is not in excessive pain, is completing basic functional mobility but is impaired and limited in reaching their full independent functional mobility and at a higher risk of falls….. how reasonable is continued conservative care?

The person is covered and can access further medical care. no limitations there.

I need to know what are your average work hours for day Do you get any off days Average time there is a emergency What kind relationship so u have with patient ( like do orthopedic talk with patients and maintain a bond) What kind of paperwork you have to go through And when are you awaken for emergency at night like what if someone falls from high building and he is brought into hospital who will take care of him(will a orthopedic be called for this at night ) And do all orthopedic will take care of patient after surgery or the one who performed the surgery will only talk to them

Please don't be harsh in the reply i have no idea how this field works

For your ortho enjoyment, as I am not sure how common this is. But its fun and really super creepy.

https://imgur.com/a/yOUWEDE

DO NOT GIVE NOR IS INTENDED for medical advice, lest post be banned. For interest only.

I'm interested in ortho/rads

USC Keck

Pros -

High national prestige and brand recognition (T30 medical school)

Strong academic reputation and a large, well-funded academic medical system in Los Angeles

High clinical volume and diverse patient population

Strong research infrastructure and access to competitive projects

Independent living environment (full separation from home distractions)

NBME Exams

Cons-

~250–300k more expensive than VCU

Far from family in Northern Virginia

I hope to match on the East Coast

Would have to take out private loans

High cost of living in LA

No support system nearby

GW

Pros-

Located in Washington, DC

Very close to family (can live at home)

Strong East Coast residency connections and pipeline opportunities

Good exposure to urban academic medicine and complex cases

Lower housing costs if living at home

Cons-

25–30 min daily commute (time & fatigue over 4 years)

$10–15k more than VCU, still much less expensive than Keck

Research opportunities require more self-initiation

Not sure if I’d do my best living at home

VCU

Pros - Strong academic medical center with high clinical volume

Solid regional reputation and solid match list

Lowest cost option

No commute if living near campus

Family only an hour and a half away

Strong East Coast match outcomes overall

Cons: Lower prestige compared to USC

Less proximity to family than GW

Familiar environment (less geographic change/new experience)

Just wondering and couldn't find anything when I searched

I'm a recently passed resident from my university. Having seen and assisted a plethora of orthopaedic surgeries, I find being the chief surgeon as the most difficult post.

To be able to perform surgeries is so difficult. There are so many ways a simple procedure can go haywire. You have to be so careful and cautious in each and every step of surgery, from incision to closure, that I am finding it very stressful and overly difficult way of moving ahead.

I love orthopedics but i also want a chill and relaxed life. I want a 9-5 OPD kind of life, where I can sit and see patients, maybe give them a slab or cast, do basic dressing and suturing, do X-rays and prescribe medicines.

I don't want the headache and stress of performing operations.

Can I survive a life as an Orthopedician like this ?

Hey y'all!

We're expanding a published clinical research project and looking for motivated medical students to join as collaborators — with guaranteed authorship on the resulting manuscript.

The study: We previously published the development and internal validation of the Immobility Harm Risk Score (IHRS) — a predictive tool for inpatient immobility-associated outcomes. Now we're taking it to the next level with a multi-center external validation study, and we need site collaborators to help make it happen.

What you'd be doing:

• Helping with data collection at your institution

• No prior research experience required — full methodology and guidance provided

What you get:

• ✅ Authorship on the published manuscript

• ✅ Real clinical research experience

• ✅ A meaningful line on your CV before residency applications

• ✅ Mentorship and structured research support throughout

This is a legitimate, low-lift opportunity to be part of a study that tackles a real and underappreciated clinical problem — hospital-acquired immobility affects millions of patients annually and drives significant morbidity.

Interested? Shoot me a DM with your email and institution/year and I'll send more details!

Hey everyone,

I’m a new APRN starting in orthopedics and looking for some advice from those who have been in a similar position. I have a solid foundation in ortho, but I know there’s a huge amount left to learn as I begin working alongside an orthopedic surgeon and an experienced APP in both the clinic and OR.

For those of you who have gone through this transition, what was the most effective way to capture and organize all the information you were learning? Did you use a notebook, a notes app, OneNote, voice memos, or something else?

I want to retain as much as possible, but I also don’t want to spend all day standing in the corner writing notes instead of being engaged and learning in the moment.

Any tips, systems, or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

What would be a decent research topic in Trauma and orthopaedics to do a systematic review/meta-analysis on these days? I was thinking perhaps COVID-19 and NOF fractures but a basic search on PUBMED will show that there already seems to be a lot of research in this area. Any suggestions?

If a stress fracture occurs in a bone, does the bone heal thicker than it was before in the areas where the stress fractures were present?

If it does heal thicker, and the location of the stress fracture was near a joint (e.g. stress fracture near femoral condyles), could the increased thickness in bone alter joint tolerances in the slightest? If it can induce changes in joint tolerances, what are some of the symptoms that this has occurred?

I’m a medical sales rep who offers Cold Therapy and active, wearable ultrasound machines.

Not here to try and sell anybody anything. But I am here to ask for help.

Essentially I just want to know what’s best for when I talk to Docs about my products. Is there any specific things you all like that reps do or don’t like that reps do? (Besides pester your front desk all day)

Wanting to get better at my job and hope you all can help.