I think doing an away rotation is critical regardless if your a US or IMG. Its basically a month long interview. If you shine, great, if you're a dud or lazy it'll be apparent.
These are the things I found useful:
1. Do well in all of your clinical rotations (eg, surgery, medicine, etc.)
2. Do well on the boards (ie, avg is around 235 for step 1 for those that match into ortho but the higher the better, I think being an IMG having a 240 is good but 250 or higher should be your goal)
3. LOR's, have people that know you well write them for you. If you work with an attending that you've built a good relationship with then ask them. Also these should be orthopaedic surgeons. You can always ask a physician from another field but this should only be one of the LOR's the rest MUST be from orthopaedic surgeons.
4. Apply broadly. Since your an IMG I would seriously think of applying to as many as you can afford. Also, some programs specifically list they do not accept IMG's. Don't know off the top of my head but doing a little research into each program could save you some $$.
5. I'm not sure if IMG schools have AOA, but having that helps as well.
6. You're doing the research part, which is good.
Please take all these suggestions with a grain of salt since I'm in the application process myself but these are things I did and so far I've faired pretty well in the application process. But also this is from a US med students perspective. I think being a IMG you have a harder road then the rest of us but it definately is possible. Good luck!
