Honors in clinical clerkships are a must.
Not only must you honor surgery, but medicine, and probably at least one other clerkship as well. Not to mention of course kicking ass on your ortho rotation.
Gets more and more competitive each year.
Thank god a lot of gunners are going for radiology nowadays!

orthorider

There is no "MUST's" to honoring during third year. While it is important to pull down clinical honors. . . . .there is no magical combination. Yes, preferentially honors in Surgery and Medicine goes a long way. I know applicants who honored in neither and matched at good programs. Before going into the process last year, I was told to try to pull down 3 or more honors and that honors in Med and Surg are the most important. But if for some crazy reason you didn't honor in Surg or Medicine (or both) don't count yourself out. Try to pull down honors in other clerkships. I honored in Surgery, Peds, and all three of my ortho rotations.

I Agree with BJ here. Honors in clinical rotations are not necessarily a must. You do not NEED an honors grade in surgery to get an ortho residency (I am living proof). There are several facets to your app. to consider and clerkship grades while important are only one of those facets. Keep your head up and your shoulder down, and get it done.