If I don't match? what are my options

I agree that this info is difficult to find, however I think it may be a bit premature to be worried about the match. Ortho is a competitive field and unfortunately some don't match, yet there's no rule stating that an individual can only apply once. Certainly doing a prelim year in gen surgery is a good option and can prepare you to enter ortho as a PGY2 if a position becomes available. Some of the alternatives to a surgery prelim include taking a research year, a transitional year, medicine prelim, or even pursuing a categorical position in a different field. You still have a few years before you really need to start losing any sleep over this. For now just work on doing well in classes and Step I. Getting an early jump on research (as you already have planned) is a great idea! Hope this helps. Keep your options open and best wishes.

ortholsu,

I definitely agree with podling, concentrate on grades and Step 1. There aren't too many PGY2 spots left open to fill; however, Oklahoma has one. Also, ortho interns do change their minds and jump ship (although I can't imagine why). I heard there were between 10 and 15 of those spots available this year. Can anyone enlighten me on this? You can't believe everything you hear.

thanks for replying. I actually try to bust my a** at school, and i would say my grades are easily in the top half, more than likely even higher than that. we don't have an official class rank, so it is hard to tell. I got an article from JBJS which is a survey of 100 ortho residency directors. basically the most important thing to them was the perfromance of the student during their clerkship. So doing an away rotation is the best thing if you want to get into a particular program. But not too far down the list was class rank and AOA. Also most residency directors admitted that more than half of their current residents were AOA. so it almost seems that if you're not AOA odds are against you, and you then have to shine in everything else. Luckily for me, i am involved in school and research. The one thing i am just hoping to do is kill step 1, to help my case out.

my 2 cents.
you don't have to be aoa but directors like to see honors in surg and med. i missed both literally by 1-2 percent and prob didn't match because of it.
never thought i'd say it but surg prelim is the only thing that kept me in the game as there were indeed 10+ advertised upper level positions that i applied to.. i'd bet there were atleast as many unadvertised. i know of atleast 4.
letters grades step 1. thats what you should focus on. good luck.
i'm calling Ok tomorrow. damn i need a job.

g-love,

I didn't mean to mislead you, but I think I did. I meant to say that there are not to many PGY2 spots left open EACH YEAR to fill (not this year), and that Oklahoma has a PGY2 spot open each year. I believe that they fill this spot in January and it is at the discretion of the chairman and PD. I'm sorry if my post was confusing.


ortholsu,

Your research on PD's is definitely leading you in the right direction. My impression is that rotating is important. It's not essential, but it is important. Although programs will differ with regard to how they feel about the importance of rotating, I think it is interesting that 4 of the 5 successfully matched students from my school rotated at the program where they matched (this is not the case everywhere, but I thought it was interesting). As far as your other questions go, I'll give them a shot:
- No it is not a one time chance only, but it is best, and most convenient, to do it the first time through. The match is a pain in the a**.
- Applying to other residencies (gen surg, int med) becomes a personal decision. I did not because I just didn't want to tell general surgery residencies that I wanted to do bowel resections. It is enough work to get your ortho app/letters done without worrying about another entirely seperate app/letters. However, I heard that the scramble is not fun. You make the call.
- Overall, I felt that the best option for not matching (were I not to match) was to enter a surg prelim year and apply again. However, I did feel that I would then throw gen surg and anesthesia into the mix along with ortho.
- My plan was my plan. Everyone needs to have a plan that they will feel comfortable with. Best of luck.

ortholsu--
the best thing for you to do right now is to RELAX. so much can happen between may of first year and the actual match. the fact that you are even pondering a future in ortho at this early point puts you ahead of many of the people who will ultimately apply with you down the road.
your research sounds like a great exposure, otherwise, keep working hard, try your best on boards, enjoy the wards, and just take things in stride. all of which will serve you well whether you decide to apply for ortho in the end or not.
P.S. Have fun this summer-- it may be one of your last!

ortholsu - what is the status of your home (LSU-NO) program these days? when are they coming off probation?

i didn't know that my program was on probation. i've talked to two fourth years who just matched there, and they couldn't be happier about their situation. i would have assumed that they would have mentioned the probation problem. i'll try to ask around and see what the story is. who told you about the probation, and what was the reason for the probation?