Residency Review Thread 2012-2013

2012:


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Med School: average Midwest state school, satellite campus
Boards: Step 1: 265+ Step 2: 255 (took in Jan, not released)
Rank: school doesn't tell us, but "top 25%" in Dean's letter
AOA: Yes
Preclinicals: all Honors
Clinicals: all Honors
Ortho: 3 aways, no home rotation because of the satellite campus situation. Honors on 2 of them, Advanced on 3rd
Research: 2 ortho pubs, 1 being 1st author
Extracurriculars: lots of sports stuff, TA, beer brewing, etc.

What I was looking for in a Program:
1. strong op experience with plenty of trauma, minimal fellow interference
2. NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, etc. out of the question
3. Good general ortho experience (WANT to do fellowships, not NEED to do fellowships)
4. Minimal publication pressure but ability to do research
5. Wanted to stay in the Midwest to be close to family


How many Programs:
Applied to: 50
Offered Interviews: 21
Attended: 15

Tier 1 (listed alphabetically):

Grand Rapids: Great community program, down to earth residents and attendings, a lot of the staff trained at GRMEP. Operate A LOT, very good trauma experience, good fellowship placement. Grand Rapids is an underrated town, can't go wrong with BeerAdvocate.com's 2012 Beer City USA.

Greenville: Much like Grand Rapids, a community program with a strong op experience and good trauma volume. Down to earth residents and attendings. Getting stronger for research, seem to be aspiring to be a CMC type of program. Get to work with Dr. Hawkins on sports. Greenville is a great city.

Iowa (rotated): One of the most balanced programs in the country, awesome place to start an academic career. Maybe a bit too academic for me personally, but still routinely have residents go straight into general ortho without a fellowship. Great leadership with Drs. Buckwalter and Marsh. Amazingly non-malignant for how high profile it is.

Med College of Wisc: still have a decent # of residents doing general ortho right out. Beer + cold + sports = Milwaukee, which I like. Get good VA and private practice experience. Maybe a bit peds heavy, but not a big deal to me.

Wisconsin: love Madison. Seemed extremely balanced, much like Iowa. Strong reputation and getting stronger, good research, strong didactics. Solid fellowship placement. Great residents, chairman takes them water skiing.

Tier 2: Mizzou, Nebraska, Campbell Clinic*, Dartmouth, Kalamazoo

*rotated at Campbell, loved it, think they have the best op
experience in the country, would have maybe been #1 but girlfriend not feeling Memphis and I like the snow too much

Tier 3: Summa, Kentucky, Ohio State, Penn St, Rush

NOT RANKED
Even matching at my #15 would be a ton better than not matching into ortho...

Matched at: top tier

Advice for future applicants:
Matched at a place I didn't rotate at, no phone calls to me or on my behalf. Since I am at a satellite campus, I actually didn't have a chairman letter either. I used my general surgery chairman's letter for programs that required it, other than that I used letters from a community orthopod in my town as well as away rotation letters (including a PD). It can only help to have people going to bat for you, but if not the case I guess you're not totally screwed! Also, I wish I'd figured out the community program vs. academic program thing earlier, if I could do it over again I'd do a community program rotation along with an academic one to figure that out. As I went through the interview process I was loving community programs more and more, and I'm extremely happy to have matched to one.

Med School: Northeast, not top 50
Boards: Step 1: 247 Step 2: 265 (took right before I started aways)
Rank: Unknown but well within top 15% of class
AOA: Yes, Senior
Preclinicals: Mostly HP, some H
Clinicals: H: Med, Surg, Peds HP: OB/Gyn, Fam Med P:Psych
Ortho: (Home plus 2 aways all Honors
Research: No pubs but multiple ortho and non-ortho ongoing projects
Extracurriculars: MBA, college athlete, multiple clubs and activities

What I was looking for in a Program: College town location with ability to cover college sports, Balance of operating experience and academics but with the real potential to publish throughout residency


How many Programs:
Applied to: 85
Offered Interviews: 40
Attended: 16 (plus 1 away who pre-ranked and home)

Tier 1: (Alphabetical)

Duke: As always Hardaker is the man. Loved the institution and the pedigree it had to offer.

Iowa: Knew this place was no joke and was pumped to interview here. Iowa City surprised me as being an AWESOME college town. Education here is some of the best in the country. Dr B and M are amazingly humble people who really care about the program.

Michigan: Reminded me a lot of Iowa. Education seemed solid, producing competent surgeons. Residents were amazingly friendly and down to earth. Ann Arbor is an awesome place to call home.

NYU: Dr. Egol and Zuckerman did not fail to impress. The interview day was fun and interactive. Has a "college sports team" feel to it which was very appealing to me. NYC is an unbelievable place to train.

Virginia: Dr. Chhabra is a dynamite individual. He seems like a truly amazing resident advocate. I was able to check out their holiday party after the interview day and it was a very warm and welcoming experience. The education and training you get here is solid and very resident focused.

Tier 2 (in order of rank)
UNC
VCU
Mount Sinai
Brown
Dartmouth



Tier 3:
St. Luke's Roosevelt
Northshore LIJ
GW
U Chicago
Tufts
Loyola
Buffalo
Upstate


NOT RANKED: None, this specialty is too competitive to not rank an institution

Matched at: My number one.

Advice for future applicants: Apply broadly and hope for the best, completely random process with receiving interviews, I would not be here without the mentors that helped guide me through this tough process, connections are important and I used the few ones I made during medical school as I will be the first MD in my family

Med School: Top 10
Boards: Step 1: 236, Step 2: 256 (taken before M4)
Rank: we don’t do that.
AOA: No
Preclinicals: Pass/fail.
Clinicals: HP for all of M3, H for all of M4
Ortho: H at home and 1 away.
Research: Lots, none ortho though. Never discussed on trail.
Extracurriculars: Lots. Frequently discussed.

What I was looking for in a Program: Fun residents and faculty. Pref OR time over didactic time. Fun city. Research opportunities


How many Programs:
Applied to: 55
Offered Interviews: 15
Attended: 12 (3 conflicts)

Tier 1:

WASH U – Best academic program in my opinion. PD really makes residents happy. Anything that is bothering them gets taken care of instantly. Lots of support staff to help with floor crap. Amazing research opportunities. You would get amazing training, but felt too ‘nerdy’ to me, and I’m pretty damn nerdy. When asking if people hang out a lot, I was told “theres a pretty solid church group” and “most people are married, so we don’t see them much”. STL isn’t as bad as people say, but it is a program for ‘indoor kids’ that don’t need much camaraderie. It’s a shame, because otherwise it would be perfect.

DUKE – Definite old-boys-club mentality. We. Are. Duke. They get pampered pretty well (see 80” TV in replant room). Great OR and research experience. All the faculty were super nice, where they really take you under their wing and make you fell like part of the team. You have to do a second look or SubI to match, and the residents opinion of you is super important. Make sure you get to the social the night before. They ship you out for a rotation (to either Atlanta or nearby), which is a pain, but worth it. Durham is good, not great. Research triangle is like 3 mid-sized cities connected together. Some residents talked about how they love being surrounded by undergrads, since they are RIGHT on campus, but others said there are plenty of young-professional places to go, which was a huge relief.

VANDY – You’re gonna get worked. PD and chair are hilarious and really proud of their program and residents. They take care of their team almost as well as Wash U, but they have the expectation that you will get your ass kicked for 5 years straight. Even the 4th and 5th years are still getting worked hard. They end up amazing, and despite the work, there is still research and a social life to be had. Nashville seems like a really fun place to live, even if they don’t get to enjoy it much. If Duke is a ‘shirt and tie’ program, Vandy is a ‘workboots and dirty jeans’ program. The residents put as much effort into finishing off a keg as they do managing the 30 consults they see a night.

WASHINGTON – Like vandy with a little more work (somehow), and a little less research time, but great opportunities if you can find time. Residents said the workload isn’t that bad, but then when they got drunk, the truth came out. Call is hell, but you come out amazing. They have you drive all over seattle for various rotations, which was a pain. Fortunately it seems worth it. Seattle is a fun town, and I didn’t find a more cohesive group of residents anywhere. Yes, its going to be a hard 5 years, but I can’t imagine a better group to do it with.

Tier 2:

YALE – Very resident run. Great compensation / benefits / amenities. Tons of conferences to attend, but most are without faculty involvement and “can be of limited value.” Wonderful faculty, but they just aren’t completely involved. Wonderful research, good mix of places you rotate to. Residents come out a little less surgically gifted than the Tier 1 places I saw, which is why its down here.

MICHIGAN – Good program and getting better. No faculty that the residents aren’t excited about working with. New PD seems like she will be great. Good mix of VA/University/Private practice. Lots of research (more than some top tier places). Ann Arbor seemed boring with the exception of football saturdays. Amazing peds. Trauma currently understaffed since 1 of 2 just left.

U CHICAGO – New chair from UNC who is apparently all about the business of ortho (per the UNC faculty). Great group of guys. Decent research opportunities with faculty what was exceptionally friendly. I felt like they already consider you a true colleague at your interview day. Level 2 trauma center, so that is weak. New hospital will be amazing apparently. Everyone was extremely extremely happy, partially since they don’t have to work that hard. Unsure of resident quality at graduation.

NORTHWESTERN – New chair from UChicago is going to completely rework the system and it will probably be great. Huge classes is a +/-. Very very resident run. Chair said (direct quote) the 2 biggest weaknesses are “Poor operative experience and faculty are not dedicated to the residents”. He may very well change this in the next few years, and I really think he can, but I just couldn’t risk having to wait. What they lack in OR time they make up for in book-learnin’. These residents have Hoppenfelds memorized by PGY2. Its nuts.

UNC – Good blue-collar feel to a program, but with lots of research. Smaller faculty pool, so everyone knows you really really well. Great facilities, awesome group of residents. Limited research opportunities, although some residents have >10 papers. Was told in my interview “if you want to be a big researcher, or a chair, don’t come here. We can’t help you”. If it wasn’t for that, they would have been way higher.

Tier 3:
STANFORD – Most hands-off interview I had seen. I don’t know if they were expecting the Stanford name to do the impressing for them, but it didn’t work. I met only 2 residents the whole visit because no one showed up. Sounds like there isn’t much camaraderie, but people are happy that way. Driving all over palo alto would be a pain. They brag about the research that Stanford has (including taking you on a tour of the PCR lab), but they have no research blocks or requirements, so resident research is essentially NIL. I think it would be a lot of fun to live there, but bad training.

NOT RANKED: None.

Matched at:
#1 choice. Did not rotate.

Advice for future applicants:
Be realistic about what you want. Big names do not = happy life. Don’t worry about only getting a few interviews, all it takes is 1. Try to utilize connections any way you can, even if you aren’t sure if someone at your home program really knows you that well. If they are bros with____ at _____, see if you can use them to get an interview. I'm not great on paper, but if you are likeable and not full of yourself, you'll get a long way.

Med School: Midwest state school (not top 40)
Step 1: 238 Step 2: 262
Rank: top 25%
AOA: no
Preclinicals: mixed honors and HP
Clinicals: all Honors
Ortho: 3 rotations including home programs, all Honors

Research: MS degree prior to med school. Several 1st author pubs (loosely ortho related), several middle author pubs, 1 poster presentation, 1 podium presentation.

Extracurriculars: college athlete, scuba, homebrewer, other BS


Applied to: 70s
Offered Interviews: 31
Attended: 16 due to scheduling conflicts.

These tiers are my personal opinions and are in no way more correct than someone elses. No doubt that each and every program listed below is and should be someone’s “best fit” program. I would have been happy at almost any of them and they certainly all train excellent orthopedic surgeons.

What I was looking for in a Program: The “right fit”, residents I got along with and respected, balance b/w OR experience and strong didactics. Good trauma experience, but not unbalanced toward trauma. Strong research opportunities (I ranked 3 6yr tracks). Family friendly program/location.


I tried to put the programs into tiers without considering my regional biases, so my rank list was quite different from the list below.

Tier 1 (alphabetical):

Grand Rapids- By far the most FUN interview day. Played ping pong, bags, watched sports, and ate food all day with the residents in between interviews with really nice faculty and residents. Seemed like a very tight knit group and they invest a lot of time and energy into their interview process to find the right recruits. One of the only community based programs I applied to/interviewed at… and I was REALLY impressed. The operative training here seemed to be one of the very best in the Midwest… and country. Attendings pride themselves on being passionate educators, plenty of volume, and their program is really structured around resident training. If you are the outdoorsy type, Grand rapids would be the place for you! This program made it very high on my list. Worth a long look.


Iowa- Really a top tier academic ortho program. Most impressive and tight knit group of residents I met on the interview trail. No weaknesses and the big names at this place are off the charts. Great didactics, great VA giving lots of autonomy to residents (apparently the main attending there hasn’t scrubbed in for years), and trauma from all over the state goes to Iowa City. Top fellowship placement for their residents and they pride themselves in sending one or two each year directly into practice. Piloting a surgical skills lab course this year, which seemed really cool. Extremely resident focused, little or no fellow interaction. I tried hard to find weaknesses in this program and they just don't exist. That is… unless… Iowa city is not your desired location. If Iowa City is a place you can make your home for 5 years, then this program will definitely set you up well for a career in ortho anywhere in the country. The word is out on this place and they attract strong candidates from everywhere, so if you want some post-interview contact (i.e a phone call from Dr. Buckwalter in February), you need to sell them on why they are a great fit for you. Would be a great place to rotate because of the big names, but you need to be slick because there will be a lot of strong rotators here. Interview is 2 days long.

Johns Hopkins- Big name and busy ortho department. The strength of this place is that they are headed in the right direction under the direction of Dr. LaPorte who is an absolutely outstanding PD. They seemed hopeful that the search for a new Chair would be over soon and they would have a big name coming in. I believe them, but it’s still a question mark. A lot of great research opportunities at a big name place for research. However, research is not forced on the residents. Per the residents not all the big names at this place are great resident educators. Great Peds, great spine, great F/A. Everything is covered in house or nearby at Bayview or union so you don't have to leave Baltimore during residency. Residents pride themselves on working hard so if you rotate you need to demonstrate that. The residents seemed to think they had a lot to do with who matches there. Solid program with a big name that will get you a great fellowship, which makes Hopkins a Top tier program. Not a malignant place despite earlier rumors.

Mayo Clinic- One of the top academic programs in the country and in my mind the very best. The people and the system are phenomenal and Mayo is internationally recognized leader in orthopedics. From the info I gathered and my experience rotating here I think the operative experience at Mayo is better than a lot of other top academic programs in its class. Also, you only work with fellows during 6 mo of your PGY2 year while you are doing basic science didactics every 1/2 day. Mentorship model puts you 1 on 1 with big name consultants for 3 month clips, so starting as a PGY2 you are operating a lot if you demonstrate preparedness. If you can't learn to become a great ortho surgeon with this model you never will. Like Iowa city, Rochester is not a city for everyone. Definitely a family friendly place and program (which was of great appeal to me and my fam). I saw plenty of bread and butter during my rotation, but you also get a huge volume of complicated cases from all over the world. Didactics are among the top in the country. I can attest that the Joints and Hand conferences were stellar. Not a trauma heavy program. Trauma in Rochester is bread and butter but those who want more exposure to go to SHOCK as a PGY4. You also go to Jacksonville for peds. You have the opportunity to get any fellowship you want coming out of Mayo if you are a reasonably productive resident. Plenty of 5th year elective time lets you tailor your experience so you are really ready for your fellowship or to go directly into practice. This is a great place to do an away rotation because you get a 2x 2-week rotations with big-name consultants so you can get potentially 2 strong letters. You also interview while you are there for your rotation. Larger class size is a +/-, but the residents I met seemed to know everyone and have each other’s backs. (Disclosure: this program was my #1 rank)

Minnesota- A most impressive program. They go to some really great hospitals all over the twin cities. Dr. Braman is doing great things as a PD. Family friendly place, lots of residents are married with kids. Work very hard and get great experience/training. You do have to travel quite a bit in a cold and snowy place. However, between Regions, the VA, the University, Tria, and Gillette Children’s you have a great variety in your training. Don’t have dedicated specialty exposure until your 4th year, but per the residents you do get a lot of specialty training during your first three years even if it isn’t on a dedicated rotation. Larger class size is a +/-.


UCLA- Just about the most impressive interview day of them all. Beautiful facilities, chill residents, went to the Chair’s home in Beverly Hills, residents had a party for us on Venice beach. Great interview experience. Big name in ortho and they definitely sold themselves well. 1 resident each year does the 6 yr research track. They convinced me that they operate enough, but their lifestyle is pretty great here. Fell lower for me because I didn’t want to move to LA.



Tier 2:

Baylor- Similar to UTSW. Very good program where you will operate a ton. Really busy VA is a huge plus. Trauma heavy. Work your tail off as a pgy2. Research not a huge focus.

Loyola- Great hospital and Great VA experience. Residents were cool. REALLY nice athletic center. Very extablished program leadership. Some new attendings in trauma. Lost some faculty recently to Northwestern, but we were told they have plans to expand a lot in the next few years.

MCW- This program was another great surprise. A lot of great orthopedic training all in one spot. They do everything at their two hospitals. Great peds experience. Really nice residents, faculty, and staff. You get paid a lot here and cost of living is low.

UIC- A great program in a great city. They take advantage of the diverse pt populations in Chicago better than any program, because they go everywhere. Great residents. Go to the top two trauma hospitals in Chicago. Operate a lot here compared to some other Chicago programs. Chair and PD both care a lot about the program and take good care of the residents. This program has been on the rise now for a long time and they are sending residents to very impressive fellowships. You travel a lot to different sites all over Chicago which is a hassle if you are on the road when the sun is up (but that won’t be often). The variety of sites makes for a really unique training experience with a lot of patient and institution diversity you won’t find elsewhere. IBJI is a great private practice exposure for the residents. Strong in hand, spine, joints, sports. Would have loved to match here.

UNC- Loved the fit here. In my mind every bit as good as Duke and Wake. They have an apprenticeship model similar to Mayo, but every resident gets the same experience, which is a plus. Travel to Wake Med as a pgy3 for trauma. Talked a lot about an MSK anatomy course they and the residents teach to the medical students. Great didactics. Residents were really nice. Interim chair. Thought it was odd they had one 6 yr research track you could rank separately, but they didn’t emphasize the research at all on interview day.

UT Southwestern- Similar to Baylor. Operate a lot here. Lots of trauma. Real busy call and work load as a PGY2. Seemed to really favor rotators. They interviewed almost twice as many applicants this year as they did last year, which was frustrating. If they like you they may recommend that you come back for a second look, which was also frustrating. Interim Chair. Lots of people rave about this program, I just wasn’t feeling it. New parkland hospital looked awesome and should be finished this year or next.


Tier 3: I have nothing bad to say about any of these programs, they just weren’t right for me.

Albert Einstein NY, Henry Ford, Indiana, Ohio State


NOT RANKED: none

Matched at: My #1!

Advice for future applicants: Pick away rotations wisely and do a great job/ work very hard on your aways. Nothing will make or break you more than this and it comes down to personality and work ethic more than anything. Make sure you are getting advice from people who you trust and who know the system. The best resource for me were the guys who paved they way one or two years ahead of me and matched ortho. Have a backup plan! We had 4 not match in my med school class and I really think the two who have a good backup plan will match next time around. I was suprised by how much location influenced my final ROL. You can use away rotations to try and increase your interview #'s in a certain region, but the offers are unfortunatly very random and hard to predict. Best of luck and feel free to PM me about anything.

Med School: Midwest
Boards: Step 1: 246 Step 2: 261 (August)
Rank: Top 10%
AOA: Yes
Preclinicals: 4.0 (no honors system)
Clinicals: 4.0
Ortho: 1 home rotation, 2 aways
Research: Undergraduate research non-ortho with pub and several presentations, M1 research non-ortho with pub and several presentations and 1 ortho resident research project that will never be published.
Extracurriculars: During Medical school volunteer at youth programs, free clinics, served on several committees, and probably other non-important things.

What I was looking for in a Program:
Fellowship placement (face it, it's the way the field is going, you want to work in a big city, you should consider fellowship training). Quality of operative experience. Overall mentality of the program (ie. did the residents hate the attendings or did they get along, I wanted to like my attendings). Location.


How many Programs:
Applied to: 35
Offered Interviews: 14
Attended: 11

Tier 1: alphabetical
Carolinas Medical Center - one of the most desirable programs to train at. They sell it as a hybrid between an academic program and a private program and the result is amazing in my opinion. Incredible faculty include Bob Anderson (foot and ankle). Huge benefits for residents. Incredible facilities. Great location. No negatives in my mind.

Colorado - Just increased to 6 residents per year this year. Historically had a reputation of overworking the residents, but this increase in size should put those concerns to rest. This program is on the rise in regards to reputation and quality. They are hiring new faculty to compliment their already top-notch attendings and expanding in all directions. Some of the best trauma experience around at Denver Health. Well rounded, great camaraderie, can't beat the location.

Mayo - Can't beat the academics of Mayo. I think the big concern everyone has is trauma experience and overall case load. An attending at another interview told me that the best resident they had ever met and the worst resident they had ever met came from Mayo. Obviously you are not going to get the trauma experience that you might get at somewhere like UTSW, but the question is, do you need to? I felt that the operative experience at Mayo would be MORE than adequate and that the individual training that you receive would outweigh those concerns. This would be a great place to train if you can handle the cold winters.

Vanderbilt - Extremely well-rounded. You would stay busy but you would be training with incredible faculty. The faculty are extremely cordial here and I think it would be a very fun place to be. Nashville is a great town with plenty to keep you busy.

Tier 2:
UTSW - I've said in previous posts, but this is a great program with great training. I think you would get murdered your 2nd year, but the 4th and 5th year would be pretty sweet. I didn't like the interview because they were always asking me how I was going to rank programs and straight up told me that I needed to come back for a second look and tell them that they were my top choice if I was interested which was a huge turn-off.

UNC - This would be an awesome place to spend 5 years. Laid back, great faculty. Really good didactics. Chapel Hill is an awesome location.

Vermont - Probably one of my favorite programs, just too far away. Seriously just check it out.

Tier 3:
JPS
University of Kansas
New Mexico
Oklahoma

NOT RANKED - UNC 6-year research position.

Matched at: Top tier

Advice for future applicants:
Be yourself and be normal. Don't worry too much about the night-before dinners, go and meet the residents, have fun, but don't go nuts. I saw people making fools out of themselves drinking too much and staying out too late before an interview. You'll feel pressured at times to not be yourself, fight those urges and really try to see if a program is a good fit for you. In my opinion, most programs don't put any weight on the night before activities... unless you do something stupid because then the residents will talk with the attendings about it for sure. That event is for you to ask questions and meet the residents.
Being a hard worker is not something you choose to do just on an away rotation. Being a hard worker takes practice and should start now. Learn to work hard at things you don't enjoy doing (medicine, etc.) and then when it comes to your aways it will be second nature. Plus, your performance in your clinical year makes a difference. Ortho is so competitive and you want every edge you can get, so try to get AOA, try to Honors in everything, try to get a better LOR than the other guy, smash your boards... but do it while looking out for the other guys around you too. You don't have to be cut throat to stand out. You never know who you might match with and if you can have a reputation of being a hard worker while also being a decent human being I think that is the type of person most programs are looking for.

Med School: Top 10
Boards: Step 1: 263 Step 2: 258 (December)
Rank: We don't really do that
AOA: Yes
Clinicals: Honors in surgery, med, peds, family, ob HP psych
Ortho: 1 home, 2 aways
Research: lots of non-ortho, one ortho case report
Extracurricular: volunteer stuff a home and abroad
Vertical Leap: 3 inches
Bench Press: 17 ½ ibs

What I was looking for in a Program: I was looking for a place that I would ENJOY working for 5 years, good training, good learning opportunities (i.e. research, fellowship, etc)

Applied to: 50
Offered Interviews: 44
Attended: 15

I apologize for this rant, but since this site gives us all a voice, I figured I could rant away. I just want to say that I'm not crazy about these "tiers." This is nothing new, but everyone wants something different so one person's tier is completely different than another’s. They offer no objective data. I understand what they're trying to accomplish, you want to say this program is either A) great! and you should be stoked to get in here!...or has some problems, but is still an ortho program that will help you become a competent surgeon and you should still be very happy getting in here. And that’s cool. However, the tiers are the embodiment of everything that is wrong with this whole residency application process and seems insulting to the residents who know their stuff, take good care of their patients and each other, and get called second class. I dunno, maybe it’s just me. Okay...I'm sorry about that...I'm done. Just had to get that off my chest. Yay internet. Anyway...here's my top 5 in alphabetical order

Duke: Just being here made me feel like a gentleman. Since my interview, I drink only the finest scotch and read from the most leathery of the bound books. This is a program (similar to Wash U...see below) where they take great pride in their resident education. They have a rich tradition here and aren't afraid to show it. Some of it seems silly (like their scrubs) but some other things are nice (you know that very austere attending at your hospital who everyone respects...this where they come from). The location looks like it'd be a lot of fun and I feel that they'd get very solid training. Not a program where the residents are comfortable, but definitely a place where they seemed very proficient and confident. College town feel. Would have a great 5 years.

Harvard: Residents seemed nice, fun people. However, it was easy for them to get lost given the size of the program and the number of hospitals. Even the residents didn't know all of their co-residents or classmates very well. But they did seem to find good friends amongst the bunch and were able to spend time together. They get treated very well here, tickets, dinners, etc. Boston is a great place for the right kind of person and they definitely have the time to enjoy it. I did a second look here and it seemed like less knife-in-hand time than I saw at some other places. They recognize this and are working on it, but its too early to tell if its making a difference in their outcomes. Either way, I'm sure that you'll graduate as a competent surgeon. Trauma is a big concern for me, I don't know how I'd feel taking call. If you interview here, you'll undoubtedly have it ranked in your top 3.

HSS: It’s hard not to be impressed here, they really roll out the red carpet. Big names, research, you all know the deal. Residents were very welcoming. They seem to work well together, however, it was kind of a tense environment. Seemed to worry about pleasing the attendings even more than the average surgical resident. NYC is what it is. Sounds like they're able to enjoy the city as much as any surgical resident could. I rotated here and I felt that there were similar pros and cons as Harvard, particularly regarding the trauma.

Wash U: Really dedicated to resident education. The didactics, the operative experience, all great. Looks like in general, one would get a bit more autonomy in a program in the south or midwest. Its just the culture of surical training. I think that’s what makes this program a little unique, you get the autonomy of a Midwest program but the fancy name and connections of a major academic ortho center. St. Louis...that's not my particular cup of tea, but I know some who love it. Residents were friendly but didn't give me that close-knit feel that I saw elsewhere. But I know that would all be excellent colleagues. Trauma, research, connections. They’ve got it all. Pound for pound, one of the best training experiences you could probably have.

Yale: Surprised at how much I liked it here, I came for a second look and the way they presented themselves on the interview day was right on. Fantastic group of residents who really do hang out in and out of the hospital all the time. They know their stuff and can definitely handle whatever rolls into the trauma bay without much difficulty. They work hard, even the 4s and 5s spend a lot of time operating in the hospital. The "resident-run" thing seems to mean that they'll make sure you have whatever you need to do whatever you want, but you'll be the one who has to do it (getting studies together, recruiting med students to help, etc). Also, they just bought an entire hospital down the street (1/2 mile from the main Yale hospital) that is being turned into an ortho mecca, Overall, felt like a great program that'll be getting even stronger in coming years.

Other programs that I really liked but didn’t rotate or second look at (and hence have less to say about them)..., UW, UCLA, Vandy, Iowa and Mayo

Programs that just weren't for me based on the feel I got from the interview experience...Stanford, Jeff

NOT RANKED: None

Matched at: My first choice, a great program and I can't wait to start!

Advice: Enjoy the ride. There are so many great applicants, residents and faculty out there that you can't help but have a great time. There are SO MANY students who I met that made me hope that I match with them, cuz I'm sure they'd be great people to work with for 5-6 years.

In response to "rant" from above:

May be a bit over the top. Most people find it helpful to group their interviews into tiers. No one suggested that it has anything to do with the overall quality of the program, these are disclosures based on our subjective experiences that people find interesting to read. It's helpful as you go trough your interviews to start to find ways to break down your ROL because at times you may not be able to say what exactly you like about this program vs that but you know you like these two more than those two... Etc. all that to say, if you don't want to post tiers you don't have to. No one should rank their list or form opinions about programs based on these subjective tiers, but it's interesting to read. I certainly don't think it represents "everything that's wrong with the process". It's also interesting coming from someone with the list that is seen above... Just sayin'. I mean Frick, Kids, don't be intimidated by reports like that seen above, this guy is the exception and not the rule. Congrats to him on a successful application and interview process.

Wow. Yeah. Nice list thockmorten11. Seriously. Well done! I wouldn't have any use for tiers either with that list, considering every program you mentioned IS hands down a top tier program in the country. What were the SIX programs that didn't invite you to interview thinking???

In all seriousness though I agree with you, I also met a lot of great applicants on the interview trail and I can't wait to get to work with some of you in this great specialty. Congrats on those who matched! No matter which of your "tiers" you ended up in you should be proud of your accomplishment.

Good luck to next years applicants!

Med School: Top 50
Boards: Steps I and II both around 250
Rank: unknown
AOA: No
Preclinicals: P/F
Clinicals: H for IM, Peds, Gen Surg, HP for everything else.
Ortho: H at home and all aways.
Research: Handful of experiences, all in ortho, that never materialized to publication.
Extracurriculars: Several and varied. Discussed at every interview.

What I was looking for in a Program: A place where the residents got good experience, and were fun people to hang out with. I figured that in such an intense specialty, my colleagues need to be people that will make it as enjoyable as possible.


How many Programs:
Applied to: 35 (applied strictly to Northeast programs)
Offered Interviews: 10
Attended: 8 (2 conflicts)

Programs I interviewed at, listed in NO particular order:

Mt. Sinai – Not for the meek. Small program, big service. The junior residents seemed like they worked extremely hard, since there are so few of them, but so many surgeons putting patients on the floors. They do “home call,” which seemed like it could be ok some times and murderous other times. They have a strong academic program also, with didactics every morning. The residents were very into pimping students, and this seemed like a numbers-driven place where if you don’t have the stats, you can forget about matching. Personalities spanned the spectrum, with a few residents that were outstanding people and others that were standoffish. And yes, the rumors are true: they made us do a strange “bioskills” physical challenge during the interview day. High stress factor, but that’s in line with everything else about the program.

University of Rochester: I didn’t know the first thing about it, but was invited for an interview, so went to check it out. I was impressed with every aspect of the program. They have so many attendings in every specialty, the residents seem really down-to-earth, and they do tons of cases. Research opportunities for miles. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it snows. Yes, it’s far from the big city. But if you can get over that stuff, this program is outstanding in every regard. Even the secretaries were awesome, very nice, enthusiastic, welcoming. Everyone in Rochester is incredibly welcoming, really. It’s almost creepy. Almost. Interview day consisted of 4 rather long, laid-back, get-to-know-you type interviews.

Albert Einstein (NY)/ Montefiore – These residents work very hard. Of course, they do, it’s Ortho after all, but they just seemed like they were super-busy even compared to other programs. Sounds like they get a good trauma experience at Jacobi. I thought maybe sports, shoulder, and hand were a little under-represented, and it sounds like they have to do a lot of floor/scut work as juniors before they really got their hands wet in the OR. Residents seemed mostly happy. Variable group in terms of personality, with some excellent residents and some people I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy hanging out with so much. I got the feeling that they were strongest in trauma and joints. That’s kind of the bread-and-butter, in my opinion, so that was a plus. Interview day was 4 brief interview rooms.

SUNY Stony Brook – More of a community-style program in my opinion, with limited academics, but the chance to participate in research if you really wanted to. My impression was that they got a good trauma exposure, as well as joints. They seemed like a fun group to hang out with, going on boating trips and stuff. You have to have a car here, if it’s not obvious. They recently renovated the hospital and it looks really good. Rather sprawling, but land’s cheap out there, ya know? Their interview day was rapid-fire, almost like speed-dating, including one physical-skills type room but not terribly high-stress.

SUNY Downstate – The residents seemed pretty happy here. They don’t have the shiniest hospitals or the newest conference rooms or whatever, but they don’t really care. Attendings seemed like they were genuinely interested in teaching residents. They do cover a lot of hospitals (6?), and I don’t know how LICH’s maybe-imminent closing will affect the program, it was not mentioned during the interview day. It sounded like they get early OR exposure, good operative experience overall, and pretty solid fellowships. They had some sort of high-tech lab for biomechanics research in which one of the interviews was conducted, that was pretty cool. Kings county is known for trauma (insert joke about local gun-and-knife club here). Interviews were short, and a bunch of rooms. But laid-back.

North Shore LIJ – Community-type program trying to increase their academics. They get a lot of operative exposure, they work hard, but they are also a fun group to hang out with. Great team dynamic here, they all seem to get along extremely well. The attendings seem to take pride in their teaching and want to make sure they turn out good residents. They had some research opportunities they mentioned, and a lab they showed us. I don’t know how much it got used, but it sounded like the residents did some solid research if they wanted. They do bio skills / saw bones training every Wednesday at their own bio skills lab across the street, which was very impressive. Interviews were numerous and mid-length, some personality-oriented and others knowledge-oriented. I have to include that I was very turned off by the administrative assistants at this program, they were by far the least accommodating of any program’s staff and basically hung up on me when I called to get my interview time. They made a terrible first impression. Many applicants I spoke to completely agreed with this assessment. I get that they get a lot of calls and it's a very busy day when they're scheduling interviews, but it was just so unpleasant trying to talk to them. It was very frustrating and random that some applicants had the opportunity to choose their day, while others were forced to take whatever was left over because they weren't invited until hours later. So if you get that, don't worry, it's not just you.

Monmouth (NJ) – Very small program, community type with limited research opportunities but good relationship with attendings. Monmouth is two blocks from the beach, which is pretty nice in the summer. The place seems a little dead in the winter though. A lot of the residents were like-minded, they seemed pretty cool and laid-back, but they also worked hard (I feel like I keep repeating myself). They rotate at CHOP, and they no longer go up to Mahwah or wherever for trauma, now they do it at UMDNJ which is nice because it’s much closer. Interviews were on the longer side, very relaxed, personality-oriented.

NYU HJD – Huge program, but everyone knows that. The residents definitely saw a lot, worked hard, and were generally good people to hang out with. I can’t really say anything negative about this program. I enjoyed what I saw of it, and thought it would keep doors for academics or private practice wide open. Very structured and hierarchical system there, regimental almost, like being in an ortho squadron. Residents read a lot, because they had to – if they didn’t, they would be embarrassed at lectures if they would be asked questions they could not answer.

NOT RANKED: None.

Matched at:
My 7th choice. Yeah, not everyone matches in their “top tier,” don’t let orthogate skew your perspective.


Advice for future applicants:

All ortho programs will give you good training, and they’re more similar to each other than they are different.

Be realistic about your aways. The ever-increasing overall competitiveness of applicants seems to just drive up how hard it is to match at certain places even with a good rotation if you don’t have all-star numbers.

Prepare yourself mentally for the possibility that you might not match at any of your most-desired programs.

At the end of the day, if you match somewhere, you’re going to be an Orthopaedic Surgeon and that’s really all that matters. It’s sometimes hard to take the long view after doing so much work for certain programs only to slide down your rank list, and yes, it still hurts the ego a bit to think about it, but it’ll all be fine in the end and “they say” people are usually happy about the places they trained. Pay no mind to your classmates matching into the top academic institutions in the country for IM, Peds, etc. Those have 30 spots each sometimes. This is a completely different animal. Simply matching at all is a big enough win.

Good luck!

Med School: State School
Boards: Step 1: 250 Step 2: 270 (before M4 year)
Rank: Top 10
AOA: No
Preclinicals: All pass (no honors at my school)
Clinicals: honors (surgery, OB/GYN, psych) Letters (Peds, Family, Med)
Ortho: x3 Honors
Research: 4 Poster presentations, 4 podium presentations, 1 scientific exhibit - I was asked about research on every interview and I definitely knew my projects inside & out.
Extracurriculars: Multiple leadership and volunteer positions

What I was looking for in a Program: Didn't close any doors after residency, "resident focused" who cares if you trained at a big name place where they take care of the fellows better than you, I wanted a place where residents where the life-blood of the program


How many Programs:
Applied to: 70
Offered Interviews: ~ 30
Attended: 16

Campbell Clinic: Nicest attendings on the trail, Resident focused, most attendings trained there for residency so you are their legacy, Best operative training in the country but you get killed at the Med, Memphis is +/-; Residents are a great group of laid-back, chill dudes, that like to work hard and hang out together.

Case Western: Resident focused, research heavy, solid operative experience, Cleveland ehhh

Cleveland Clinic: Fellow focused, research heavy, if you stand out you’ll get a great operative experience I think, Cleveland ehhhh

Duke: Resident focused, Drink the kool-aid heavy, Nice attendings, solid operative experience, spend 6 months of 4 yr in Ashville or Atlanta, Raleigh/Durham area is pretty solid

Iowa: Resident focused, research heavy, Awesome attendings, solid operative experience, one of the biggest name places in Ortho, family focused, Iowa City did not do it for me, residents where very nice

MCW: Research light, Very Nice Attendings, Chairman stepping down in a few years, great operative experience, Milwaukee seemed like a nice city

Michigan: Research heavy, Nice attendings, Huge name for ortho, heard +/- things about the operative experience, they just added a private practice rotation so hopefully this will help, residents were very friendly and might have been one of the most laid back groups I saw on the trail.

Missouri-Columbia: Resident focused, Amazing facilities, program on the rise, research there if you wanted it, PD was very kind and seemed like he truly cared about his residents, Didn’t meet many of the residents but they seemed cool, Very good operative experience, Columbia is a college town hate it or love it

Northwestern: Resident focused, Research is what you make of it, AMAZING CHAIRMAN he will turn this program into one of the top in the country in the coming years, I’ve heard both ways of the op experience here but you do have Cook County & VA rotations (aka they are getting to operate a lot on those rotations), Located in the best part of Chicago, GREAT group of residents, very laid-back and friendly

Vanderbilt: Resident focused, research is what you make of it, Very personable faculty, GREAT operative experience but you get killed on call, Nashville can’t be beat, Very nice group of residents

Virginia: Fun interview, research definitely encouraged, faculty seemed interested in resident education process, shipped to Roanoke for 8 months of your training, Nice group of residents, Charlottesville was picturesque but very small

Wisconsin: Resident focused, research it’s there if you want it, Great/personable faculty, Wonderful PD that truly seems to care about you, very good operative experience (send 1-2 into gen practice every year), Awesome group of guys, Madison seemed like it would be a fun place for 5 years


NOT RANKED - None

Matched at: My number 1 choice

Advice for future applicants:
Best advice is to get AMAZING letters and develop relationships with attendings where they are WILLING to stick their neck out for you. I had multiple interviews where they said I had unbelievable letters. I have to think this is something that helped me, because ortho is so competitive that my numbers/research/extracurriculars are par for the course with many applicants.

Med School: Southeast (Top 40 NIH funding)
Boards: Step 1: 250s Step 2: 270s (July)
Rank: Top 5%
AOA: Junior
Preclinicals: Top 1/4
Clinicals: Honors in 1/2 of the rotations; honors in surgery
Ortho: 1 home rotation, 2 aways
Research: 4 projects; 2 publications, 2 presentations (both publications in big journals, both presentations at big meetings)
Extracurriculars: Ima Boss

What I was looking for in a Program:
Applied all over the country and got interviews at the "big name programs" (HSS, harvard, bla bla) but I'm married and ultimately decided that I wanted to "keep it down home cuz" and stay in the south...so location was most important bc I wanted to keep my wife happy and stay close to our families. So I turned down interviews at great programs in the NE, midwest, west coast, etc bc happy wife = happy life...plus the south is just fun. For me, I wanted a program where operating was the focus.

How many Programs:
Applied to: 50
Offered Interviews: 30s
Attended: 13

Top tier:

UF-Gainesville:
Truly a gem. Great operative experience, operate early and often, top 25% case volume in the country and you have appropriate autonomy. Residents are down to earth and fun to hang out with, great mix of personalities, from all over the nation. Attendings were the nicest I met on the trail. Most amazing facilities I saw on the interview trail, (Carolina's Medical Center a close 2nd) really cant emphazise how nice the facilities are...brand new hospital, beautiful clinic building (OSMI), brand new outpatient surgery center. 11th in the nation in NIH funding for orthopaedic research. Mecca of ortho oncology. Low cost of living, cheap housing, beautiful weather, beautiful location...beach, lakes, etc close by. Daily conference. Great perks (Ipads, heathcare 100% covered for all family members without a premium, food allowance, moonlighting opportunities for extra cash, etc). Home call as upper level. Of course you work hard but the best lifestyle out of all the residencies I saw. Just an awesome place. Ranked 1st.

Campbell Clinic:
Great attendings. Wrote the books. Great operative experience. Research not that great. Anybody would be lucky training here. The only reason it fell down on my list was Memphis sucks and it is so spread out...no matter where you live, you would spend ~30 mins driving to your location. Sometimes you have to be downtown, sometimes in Germantown, sometimes in Collierville...they will try to downplay the driving but I have friends in residency there and they complain about it all the time....plus I have a family and would like to still have a family at the end of residency. The other negative is the program is big (8 per year) and residents didn't seem as close as other programs.

Carolinas Medical Center:
Just flat out amazing. When you interview here you will understand. Very impressive. Reminded me alot of UF-Gainesville. Nice mix of academic and private practice/community. Ranked 2nd.

I'm tired of writing so I'll just list my other programs.

HSS-everyone knows about this program...operative experience just wasn't strong enough for me especially in the early years
Harvard-same as above
Iowa-attendings are aging and will soon retire
Vanderbilt-did not like the attendings as much as other programs

Tier 2:

Greenville-Great residents, great attendings, great location. Only downside is the chairmen is a vascular surgeon.
UAB-loved the residents but just a lot of flux within the program. Attendings are always coming and leaving...Chairmen left this year.
Chattanooga-2nd favorite residents behind Gainesville...would have been ranked higher but no oncology attending/experience and spine/hand is very weak.

Tier 3:
Ochsner
Atlanta Medical Center
Baylor

Matched: At a place my wife and I will be happy. My list does not necessarily represent where I ended up...just where I liked most. Sorry I just got tired of writing. Don't let orthogate fool you...not everyone ends up at their 1st choice. PM me if you have any questions.

Advice: Be careful where you select away rotations...it's hard to be on top of your game 24/7.

Med School: Top 5 USNWR
Step 1: 250s-260s Step 2: 250s-260s (Took in November, released)
Preclinicals: All Pass
Clinicals: All Honors except Neuro
Ortho: Honors home and away
Research: 1st author JBJS pub, podium presentation at sub-specialty meeting
Extracurriculars: student council, ortho interest group, basically nothing special in med school. In undergrad did some overseas volunteer stuff, started a philanthropy, lots of organizational leadership, etc.

What I was looking for in a Program: Well-rounded and hands-on operative experience in an academic setting. Strong reputation was important, but happy residents with good camaraderie and down-to-earth attendings ended up being more important than reputation. Location close to my wife’s family and mine was preferred, but not absolutely necessary. I also preferred to live somewhere I could afford a single-family home on one salary, though I strongly considered some city gigs.

How many Programs
Applied to: 37
Offered Interviews: 26
Attended: 16

I’ve listed my top 4 programs first in alphabetical order. Others would look at the list and have made very different decisions. It’s important thing to remember that your best bro sitting beside you at the same interview may have an entirely different opinion about the place. While every program has a different set of strengths and weaknesses, the differences between most programs are negligible. It then comes down to how you fit with the residents, the attendings, the espirit de corps, and whether you’d be happy there for 5 years. Honestly, there isn’t a place that I interviewed at that I wouldn’t have been excited to train at.


My top 4 (alphabetical):

Iowa: The camaraderie of the residents at this place is unmatched, and I felt Iowa was the most well-rounded program I saw. The operative experience here seems to be among the best of the “top tier academic programs”…whatever the hell that means. If you’re ready to be a grown-ass, respectable man, who wants a top-notch education without training in an ivory tower and all the hierarchy that goes with it this is THE PLACE TO GO. Every individual person involved with this program understands what it means to be a good teammate, and everyone works hard to always do the right thing. They have an additional 7th month of orthopaedics here doing a practical operative skills course as an intern, that many other programs will likely be implementing in the coming years. The only knock for Iowa is that a couple of the attendings (who have each held positions such as AAOS president) are getting older, and will eventually retire in 5-10 years. The new young talent that is being brought in will ensure that the Iowa tradition continues to live on in their second century of practicing orthopaedics, with over 100 years of tradition and only four chairmen. This resident-based program has phenomenal benefits, a glorious call schedule, and the opportunity to buy a nice home in a safe neighborhood. For the single applicants, remember there are plenty of co-eds to keep even the most virile man busy. You need to check this place out.

Utah: I loved everything about this place. The faculty here are ridiculously friendly, down-to-earth, and excited to teach. The residents were a fun-loving bunch who can be found skiing/boarding 30 days a year, rocking it out in the OR, and climbing mountains together in their free time. Residents were very happy here, and the operative experience seems to be awesome. The facilities are absurd, with an outpatient center practically built into the mountainside. Reputation is growing fast, and those in the know realize how great this program is. Some at my institution, however, still were not aware how epic this place is becoming, and were surprised by my glowing endorsement. Soon there will be no surprises, because it’s impossible to find someone who saw this place and came out not singing its praises. If only this place was a little closer to my wife’s family… I think this program blows most traditional top 5 places out of the water. If you get a coveted interview you better go, and take an extra day to hit the slopes while you’re there!

Vanderbilt: A couple of years ago, there was concern over a little faculty turnover. Worry not, this place has rebounded and is on fire! The residents here work hard and play hard, and NashVegas is an awesome place for both singles and married residents alike. This place is traditionally operative heavy, but is developing a much larger reputation in research of late. You can’t go wrong coming to this program. One thing to know, is that unlike the other top southern programs, Vandy draws a diverse and entertaining group from all over the country and all different backgrounds. It’s a southern operative, Midwest friendly, east-coast diversity type of place. If you get the chance to interview you better make it! This place is awesome!

Wash U: Many people will tell you that this might be the best program in the country. They are correct. Everything here is phenomenal. The faculty here has incredible depth and an awe-inspiring reputation. Residents get a solid operative experience for an academic program. This place attracts top people from top schools, but unlike places like Iowa/Vandy/Utah, pedigree does matter a little more here. Personally, I don’t think where a person goes to school means shit when you’re in the trenches together, I just want someone that will have my back. The program director here is an awesome guy and a real resident advocate. This program hands down has the best academics in the country. I found the residents to be a very intelligent and friendly bunch. They have good professional relationships with each other, and many hang out. I did, however, find myself feeling like I wanted to be in a group that was a little more blue-collar and close-knit. Bottom-line is, if you want what is possibly the best education in the country you need to check this place out.


Other Awesome programs I saw:

Campbell Clinic: Best trauma operative experience in the country. 4th years doing tabs practically by themselves…with their eyes closed. I think the operative experience in the other sub-specialties is pretty great too. I found the residents to be a great group of guys, and not closed off as others had described on orthogate. I felt these guys were people I would love to be residents with, but the location was a little farther away from family than I preferred. On the one hand, I wanted to be at a program that is one of the last bastions of resident autonomy. But on the other hand… that trauma experience comes at a loss of a lot of life. You have to decide what type of experience you are looking for. I would have loved to be a resident at this program.

Emory: Another absurdly strong trauma program. Spine is also a huge strength here, and if you have any inkling to do spine you should pack your bags and do an away rotation at Emory in Hotlanta now. It is possible to match here without rotating, but you better know people at the program or have some strong family ties to the area. Residents here are a great group of guys. They certainly enjoy the city of Atlanta and the many bars it has to offer. This is a top-notch operative experience in trauma and spine at a program with an outstanding name, tradition, and group of residents. You have to check this place out!

Florida: Solid operative program. Lots of residents played SEC football, and many of the rest were college athletes. I was neither, and still felt like I could have fit in well at this place and been a pig in mud. The facilities are truly beautiful. The weather is perfect 8 months a year and hot 4 months a year. Cost of living is low and houses are cheap. The faculty and residents really get along well and love what they do.

Harvard: This program is huge. The residents are the most fun-loving group I’ve met. These guys are generally not what you think of when you imagine a Harvard-bred type of person. Residents like the sauce here, and many party pretty hard. Tons of fun to hang out with these guys, and interview day with a dinner at the top of the hub and all the expensive cigars you can smoke afterwards is very fitting. Make sure and where a blazer to the pre-interview events…and make it different than what you’ll interview in the next day if you don’t want to smell like smoke. The operative experience here is really the big knock of this program, but honestly it is truly what you make of it. If you want to go the extra mile, scrub the extra case, and make a solid operative plan before every case you’ll get to do plenty. If you are not self-motivated no one here will hold your hand and it is entirely possible to fall between the cracks. Overall, the program is a great one, but you have to be prepared to deal with hierarchy, big names with big personalities, and having the internal motivation to succeed. The new program director will likely make some huge improvements in the coming years, so stay tuned for a soon-to-be-improved resident experience. Faculty here can make a phone call and make your dreams come true for fellowship, even if you are at the bottom of your class. You would be foolish to not give this place strong consideration.

Indiana: This place is being entirely restructured. New attendings are being hired for new hospital coverage. There are some great attendings here. Most of the residents did not show up for the social, and the ones that did should have been given a red bull before they walked in. Overall, I think this place will have worked out the bugs in a couple of years and will be on the up and up. Indianapolis is a great city, and is surprisingly affordable and friendly.

North Carolina: Best lunch on the trail complete with crab, shrimp, filet, and about 10 different awesome deserts. I think the interim chair here will do a fantastic job. The residents get an awesome experience, and are really great people.

Northwestern: I loved this place. Pretty much every attending I met was excited to me, engaging, and truly wanted to build Northwestern into a top 5 powerhouse. The new chairman there is exactly the kind of guy you want to work for. He is a no bullshit, all substance kind of guy that I felt confident will make the necessary steps to make this program amazing. I did not rotate here, and the new Northwestern policy is that they will be accepting multiple students each year who did not rotate. They probably interviewed 50 non-rotators. A friend of mine matched here this year, and he definitely did not rotate either. The facilities are down-right awesome, with dark hardwoods and a charming high-class feel. The area of Chicago is ritzy and beautiful, and there is a Louis Vuitton and a Brooks Brothers across the street from the entrance. You have to see this place to believe it, and it may have been my top choice if I had interviewed three years down the road.

Pittsburgh: Reputation is well-known. Operative experience is great on trauma but you really pay for it with frequent call and very long hours, even for ortho. 2nd year you get absolutely killed. Residents graduate with slick OR skills. The chairman Dr. Fu is a savant. He will interview every candidate for 5 minutes and he will know everything there is to know about you. Be ready to do a 2nd look if you want to come here and do not rotate. Be ready to potentially be asked to commit on the spot to Pitt by the chairman. Be ready to live in a gorgeous facility where every athlete in the country and person in People magazine has a picture on the wall with a long dedication to Dr. Fu.

Rochester: Great operative experience. Great academics. Cheap housing. 100 inches of snow each year. If you can live in upstate new york with 100 inches of snow a year you would be hard-pressed to find a better program. Extremely warm and friendly faculty. Great residents.

Rush: This is the most academic program I visited. Residents get an average of 20-25 publications. I am not even joking. The volume here is incredible. I got the sense that the operative experience may leave something to be desired. I’ll leave that the people who know the program better. What I will say is that the residents here were undoubtedly a bright and fun group. The facilities are the nicest I saw anywhere in the country. The area of Chicago the program was in did not work well for what I was looking for. It’s a 10-15 minute drive if you live downtown, but a 25+ minute drive from the suburbs without traffic. If you are 100% sure you want to do academics and be a chairman somewhere, this program will definitely be in your top 3, and should probably be #1.

UC Davis: This is a hard work type of program with solid blue-collar guys. There is a trauma guy there that will be an absolute dick in the interview room, but don’t let this phase you, as he is this way with everyone. Peds is extremely strong at this program, as are many other sub-specialties. Location is 1.5 hours to Tahoe, and residents take advantage of this frequently. Overall this is a solid California program with good operative experience, but it certainly has the feel of being a little rough around the edges. Housing is surprisingly reasonably priced for California, and any direction you drive from Sacramento is beautiful.

UCLA: Everyone I interviewed with loved this place. It’s hard to argue with the low key and friendly faculty, beautiful location, warm weather, perfect facilities, and well-filled bikinis. That being said, I felt like a hog at a Bar Mitzvah. I mean, I know how to dress well and all, but I’m not sure I could ever call southern California home. I’m likely not civilized enough, and I’m certainly not liberal enough. All that aside, I would have been delighted to have trained at this program. The residents seemed like a great group of people, and I’ll have friends training at this program next year.


Interviews I couldn’t make due to conflicts (broke my heart): Penn, UCSD, Stanford, Case Western, Dartmouth, Michigan, Cincinnati, Baylor, Wake Forest, Vermont.

No Interview invite: Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Carolinas, Duke, Yale, Wisconsin, Penn State, Jefferson, Ohio State, Mount Carmel

Didn’t apply to: HSS or any other NYC program

NOT RANKED: Don’t be cocky. If you want to be an orthopod you rank every program and you feel damn lucky to match. If you don’t feel like you can find a way to be successful at any program you don’t have the right attitude for the field.

Matched at: #1

Advice for future applicants: Most of my advice has already been stated. Just make sure that you are making the right decisions for you and your family. Take heed of the advice of mentors, but realize that everyone you meet will have some bias. Take substance over reputation every time. Pick a group of people you want to work with in a place that you want to live and you will be happy for 5 years.

Med School: Mid-tier private
Boards: 240ish/250ish (taken before ERAS submitted)
Rank: top 25%
AOA: not a chance
Clinicals: mix of H and HP
Ortho: Honors in home and 3 aways
Research: 3 projects resulting in 3 abstracts, 4 poster presentations, 3 publications. Also have about 5 non-ortho related abstracts/posters, none of which were asked about.

Extracurriculars: Former hockey player, nothing too exceptional in medical school

What I was looking for in a Program: Good operative experience, good fellowship placement, and a cool, bro-sauce crew of residents. Wanted to be in a city that would give me the chance to meet girls, and enjoy the rest of my 20s.


How many Programs:
Applied to: 75
Offered Interviews: 37
Attended: 22


Tier 1 (alphabetical):

Carolinas Medical Center: Along with Case Western, the most balanced program I saw. Although they are technically a community program, they are still very academic, with didactics every day, and great research opportunities. They take 5/year, although have the volume to probably take 12. It seems as if this program keeps getting stronger and stronger every year, offering a great mix of private practice exposure as well (like Campbell Clinic). There is apparently an option for a 6th research year if you are interested. CMC doesn't have the name recognition of some of the other programs listed, but that didn't stop me from ranking it very highly. Even though there are a lot of fellows through OrthoCarolina, it seems like there is little if any interference. Charlotte is sick, with solid night life.

Case Western: Very balanced program overall. One of the top research programs in the country, it seems all of the residents had multiple projects ongoing. One of the knocks on this program is that 2 residents are selected to do an extra research year, yet this isn't decided until PGY1 starts. The chairman made it very clear he is looking to train leaders in the field, so if you know for sure you want to be a community orthopod in a small town this place probably isn't for you. The facilities here are out of this world, and it seems the OR experience is good, especially for such an academic place. Obviously, Cleveland isn't exactly South Beach.

Georgetown: Rotated here, along with about 50 other applicants this season. The program is very strong in didactics, weak in research. Operative experience is great at Fairfax, ok at WHC, and not as good at Georgetown. Very old-school program, very hierarchical All of the residents seemed happy to be there, but I think a lot of them were drawn to the fancy Georgetown name, and obviously the program has changed a lot over the years. All of the chiefs very comfortable in the OR and everyone from PGY-2 and up knew their stuff backwards and forwards. It seemed as if everyone got the fellowships they wanted. Obviously, DC is a great place to live, but the fact that their rotations are so spread out was a little bit of a turn off, as was the fact that residents were routinely leaving cases to go attend conference/didactics. Have to go to Delaware for peds.

Miami: I didn't rotate here but wish I had. Residents seemed just like me, has-been athletes who loved to have a good time. Only 1 female, everyone seemed very tight nit. In terms of location, it doesn't get much better if you ask me. The department here seemed very blue-collar, with an emphasis on trauma and OR experience. Research, didactics, both seemed to be major weaknesses. Tumor and Trauma were strengths. Oh, and yes, the rumors are true about the social after the interview.


Tier 2:

Campbell Clinic: Seems like this place really sets the standard for OR experience. These guys wrote the textbook on orthopaedics, literally. Residents are allowed to start cases on their own and that allows for a great trauma experience at the MED, which is always rockin'. I was told that research opportunities are their if you wanted them. PGY2 year seems absolutely brutal, but that is the case pretty much everywhere. I was told that didactics were "improving". With leaders in every field, this place seemed to really live up to the reputation as being the mecca of orthopaedics that they describe. Wasn't able to get a good feel for the culture of the program, but a lot of the residents I met admitted it wasn't their first choice and felt a little over-worked. Memphis seemed to be better than I expected. With almost all of the residents being married and a lot with kids, I wasn't too sure what kind of camaraderie there was between them, especially since we only met 2 on interview day, which I thought was strange.

LIJ: Seemed like the residents were happy to be there, good operative training, and close to NYC. Residents described it as a small, laid back program, but the interview was intense and even a little malignant for some. As has been mentioned earlier, the process of scheduling the interview was absolutely ridiculous, and along with the interview day, seemed like the exact opposite of what they were trying to sell us on the "chill" vibe of the program. That being said, it seemed like a relatively balanced program with exceptional facilities. Almost all of staff is HSS trained, and the residents all got great fellowships.

St. Luke's-Roosevelt: Loved it here. Small community program with a GREAT group of residents. Everyone really has each others back and residents seemed genuinely happy to be here. Unlike some of the other NYC programs, these guys operate a TON. Probably not the place to go if you want to do a ton of research, but they have didactics every morning, usually run by an attending. The two hospitals offer a great mix of patient population and almost all areas are strong. Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for tumor, deleware for peds. It's NYC so you aren't going to get tons of hot trauma, but with the ridiculous amount of OR time and autonomy these guys get I don't think that's a huge issue. Also, hand is a major strength here as the CV Starr program is among the top in the nation. If you want to be some fancy department chair someday, St. Luke's is probably not the place for you, but if you want to train to be a damn good orthopaedic surgeon you would be very lucky to match here. Great location, great housing options, great OR experience, and most importantly, great people!

UTSW: Trauma is king here. The residents all seemed very proud of their program and their operative experience Peds and Trauma are by far strengths, F/A is a weakness being taught by either trauma staff or podiatrists. Residents get absolutely killed as a 2, and they are very honest about not following work hour restrictions at all. I think the end product at the after 5 years is a great surgeon. I was invited to do a second look by one of the chiefs and the PD, unfortunately I wasn't able to. Not sure how this affected my being ranked as this program apparently favors rotators heavily.

Baylor: Very similar to UTSW above. Slightly smaller program, and it seems healthcare is a lot more fragmented between hospitals in Houston with Methodist, UT-Houston, etc. Even though I interviewed at Methodist as well, I wasn't too sure about the residual effects from the split other than both programs talked trash on each other. Like UTSW, research, and didactics seemed average at best- the focus here is clearly on operating.


Tier 3:

UIC: super friendly residents, awesome city, residents got some awesome fellowships. As has been discussed, tons of driving, and saturday didactics are a huge drag

Einstein: Residents were openly unhappy, admitting their favorite 4 hours of the week were those during conference when they could finally get some shut-eye. Operative experience seemed fabulous, one of the few NYC programs that has real trauma, but this comes at the expense of being in the Bronx, which, for those of you who haven't lived in NYC, sucks.

Greenville: seemed similar to CMC, as a hybrid style program. They really take care of the residents here, everyone seemed happy. Even though its a southern program, they take people from everywhere. Met a ton of the residents and it seemed like they really made an effort to get to know you here and make you feel welcome. Almost everyone married. Leadership in flux as the current chairmen is a vascular surgeon.

Arkansas: Residents describe it as "country club" style program, where you take home call even as an intern. Even though they are relatively small with only 4 residents a year, all rotations are in Little Rock, which is an underrated area. almost everybody was married with kids, I got the sense it wouldn't be the best fit for my lifestyle.

Tenn-Chat: Pretty similar to Arkansas, where the focus is clearly on resident OR experience. Again, great guys here, the city just didn't really do it for me.

Robert Wood: Soon to be officially merged with Rutgers, nothing really stood out either way here. Apparently the residents are happy with the OR experience, with limited teaching and limited research. Didn't get to meet that many residents but those I did seemed happy to be there. By far, the best lunch on the interview trail.

UAB: Not officially a department, even though they take 6/year. Another "community style" academic program, the emphasis here is on operative experience. Spend some time with Andrews institute, which seems awesome, even though he is now based out of Florida.

Ochsner: very small program located in an awesome city, there is no real trauma rotation here. Residents are shipped out to a rural site for approximately a year, although they claim this is where their best training is.

SUNY Upstate: Seems like an up and coming program. This was my first interview so I don't remember it very well, but everyone super nice and happy to be there. Again, the emphasis is on operative experience, they are pretty much the only level 1 for all of central NY.

SUNY Stony Brook: Way out on Long Island, these guys boast a great Trauma experience. Seem like a solid group of residents, everyone happy here with no complaints. Didn't end up going on a tour here so I didn't get a great feel.

Methodist: A relatively new program, but they really seem like they have all of the infrastructure to succeed. Methodist is an amazing hospital with a solid group of residents in place, I'm sure in the coming years it will turn into one of the best programs in Texas.


Tier 4:

BU


Matched at: tier 1, totally stoked that I matched, and I'm going to be an orthopod.

Advice for future applicants:
People say it all the time, but apply broadly. I had no idea how competitive of an applicant I was going in, and just wanted to match above all else; my school hasn't had a great track record for matching ortho lately. And honestly, almost every program in the country is excellent, you can train to be a great surgeon coming from anywhere. Find the places where you think gives you the best chance to excel as both a person and a surgeon. At some point it only becomes an extra 25 bucks per program, so why not apply to everywhere you would consider going? You need a lot more than a good step 1 score to match, having a good story with solid research experiences and good letters is just as important. As you can tell I was a pretty average candidate by the numbers, but still got to interview at some great places. You never know who is going to take a chance on your application, so don't limit yourself by applying to only 30 places. I fit probably every ortho stereotype there is, and while the demographic of people going into our field is definitely changing, I think having interesting things to talk about at your interview really helps them remember you. I never sent any thank you notes, or sent any "you're my #1" or other interest emails at all, nor did I have any post-interview contact so to speak, except for one PD calling me the Monday after match asking me why I didn't match at his program. All in all there are some great people going into ortho, I met a ton of awesome folks on the trail, most of whom I have lost touch with. Those of us that met probably know who I am from the post above- shoot me a message and let me know what's up!

Med School: private, top 40
Boards: Step 1: 234, Step 2 after ERAS submitted
Rank: ?
AOA: yes
Preclinicals: Pass/Fail
Clinicals: honors x6/7
Ortho: honors x3
Research: a good amount from undergrad and med school, everything Ortho-related
Extracurriculars: standard clubs in med school, a few things in "Interests" section of app that were talked about at every interview...if you have something unique about yourself, put it in there

What I was looking for in a Program: wanted to be in the Mid-West or Mid-Atlantic area so didn't apply too broadly... program with a good reputation, solid fellowship placement, research available, happy residents, etc.

How many Programs:
Applied to: 40
Offered Interviews: 19
Attended: 11

Tier 1:
Case Western: UH, VA, and county hospital allow for great operative experience, focus is on residents, great Chief year with "mini-fellowships"

Carolinas: residents treated really well and all seemed happy to be there, Charlotte is awesome, tons of support staff, surprised on interview day by how much trauma they saw

WashU: everything has been said previously, and I agree. Great place. Maybe the most academic program in the country?

Tier 2:
Northwestern: best part of Chicago, new Chair is great, lots of residents, didn't get a sense for how much they get to operate

Pitt: great program with lots of huge names, lots of fellows, can't imagine a place with a worse PGY-2 year

Duke: gotta drink the Kool-Aid, not a fan of having to do the second-look or the intern stuff, Durham isn't the greatest. Otherwise, has to be one of the best programs in the country

Cleveland Clinic: lots of fellows, lots of residents are local guys and people with connections to CCF, huge name that provides lots of opportunities

Penn: seems to be on the rise after losing lots of faculty members, new Chair is all business and wants to be the best, residents definitely get worked but seemed to be a tight-knit group

Tier 3:
Ohio State: intern-Chair is stepping down, higher-ups stressed wanting to push research in coming years

Wake Forest: solid place but didn't realize how small Winston-Salem was

Allegheny General: great community program with lots of trauma, recently lost lots of faculty members

NOT RANKED: none

Matched at: Tier 1

Advice for future applicants: I didn't do too hot on Step 1, but I got some pretty good interviews because other areas of my application were strong. Received enough good feedback from the PDs at the 3 places I rotated at that I was confident I could match at those places…therefore, wasn't too nervous about only applying to 40 programs. From what I've seen the past few months, if you are a good person who works hard and have a few faculty members who have your back, you will do fine.

Med School: Top 10
Boards: Step 1 260s Step 2 not released
Rank: n/a
AOA: no
Preclinicals: A mix of H and HP.
Clinicals: H x 3
Ortho: H x 4
Research: Basic science projects from before med school but only 1 pub (in ortho) at time of application
Extracurriculars: Dual degree student (not PhD)

What I was looking for in a Program: 1. A heavy operative experience and 2. A positive learning environment - meaning attendings who are good role models/fun to work with/like to teach and a close knit group of residents.

How many Programs
Applied to: 51
Offered Interviews: 20
Attended: 14 (scheduling conflicts, would have gone to all if possible)

Tier 1
UCLA - had the most interesting attendings I met, the best PD, and a really close group of residents. I didn't rotate here but from talking with the residents and other applicants it sounds like these guys operate a ton, starting from PGY1. They rotate at some awesome hospitals including the VA multiple times where you basically run your own service (my home institution’s residents told me to be on the lookout for programs with a lot of VA time because it is when you really learn how to fly solo). I was extremely impressed by their interview day. Light on the number of fellows. It got a 10/10 for OR experience and 10/10 for environment on my scale.

Emory - These guys operate a ton, especially while at Grady. It definitely had a strong teamwork vibe. They don't care much about research but it is there if you want it, especially in spine. EUOSH (their outpatient surgicenter) is new and very efficiently run. I met a few fellows who did residency at Emory and they were all studs. I really liked their faculty and had a great time at the pre-interview dinner at one of the attending’s homes. Seemed especially strong in trauma and spine. At first I was turned off by the 2 day interview idea but it turned out to be a great way to really get to know the program inside and out.

UMass - Their interview day consisted of something like 12 straight interviews with 2-3 attendings in each room. Each and every attending I met was welcoming and interested to talk to me about my interests and about the program. They were just the type of people I'd want to be in a case with at 3am. The UMass facilities are incredible and they get a ton of trauma from all over Western Mass. Their research presentations were actually exciting and the projects are definitely cutting edge – from basic science (RNAi) to outcomes registry research. I didn't get the chance to meet too many residents but they seemed like a fun group with diverse interests outside the hospital.

WashU - Fantastic place, some of the coolest residents I met plus world famous attendings who seemed like great people too. They operate a ton and have an emphasis on teaching. A PGY 5 rotation lets you spend 6(?) weeks abroad operating anywhere you can set up a rotation. The PD also mentioned a PGY1 surgical skills rotation that was in the works. Chairman is a great guy and St. Louis is more fun than people give it credit for. Definitely a top flight program IMO.

Northwestern - A program that is on the rise big time due to the new chairman. He's as great as everyone on these boards says he is. Even my home institution advisor raved about him. Rotations at NWern are peds heavy but they go out to Cook County for good trauma. The main hospital and where most residents live are in an incredible location near the water in downtown Chicago. The residents were awesome.

Tier 2
Penn - Awesome group of residents who obviously work their asses off. Operative experience is great, especially for an academic type place, but the environment was a little oppressive for my liking. Chairman seems like a good guy but his disciplinary style dampens the mood of the entire program - when he walks into a room everyone stops talking immediately. CHOP attendings are world class and seemed down to earth on the interview day.

OHSU - Great PD and Chairman, both seemed very interested in resident education. Not a fellow heavy place by any means, which gives the residents a lot of operative experience even though the department as a whole didn't seem to get as many cases as others. Didn't get to know the residents too well but the ones I met during my interviews were friendly.

UC Davis - Trauma heavy program with heavy and early operative experience. Didn't necessarily hit it off with the residents but they seemed like a solid crew. Sacto is a small city but is close to the Bay Area and to Tahoe.

Wake Forest - Great group of residents who were obviously close knit as they dropped by and joked around with us and each other virtually all day long. The PD was very interested in continually improving the resident experience. Operative experience seemed solid. I didn't realize how small Winston-Salem is either.

Stanford - Some of the attendings, especially those at VMC (aka the Valley, their community hospital), are fantastic about teaching. Others seemed less interested in resident education and more interested in furthering their own careers. I met a couple residents who were less than impressive but the majority of them were great. Stanford also has more fellows than I would have liked given the relatively smaller case load compared to other programs. PD is working on reestablishing an old rotation that was lost, which I think would help improve the resident operative experience quite a bit.

Loyola – PD was one of my favorites - an absolute class act. The residents told us that during a recent blizzard he brought his sleeping bag to the hospital and slept in his office for 3 nights to make sure the residents had coverage. This program is especially strong in Hand. Didn’t really hit it off with the residents that well but I didn’t get to talk to too many either.

Pitt – Program with a great reputation but was not what I was looking for. The residents didn’t seem to have a good relationship with their attendings and barely knew one another cause so many take a year off for research. If you want to publish as much as you can during residency, this is the place. The chairman is amazing too; he’s a very impressive guy.

Tier 3
BMC – The attendings I met seemed entirely disinterested in the applicants and didn’t seem to care much about resident education either. I asked multiple faculty what their relationship was like with residents and the answers I got included “the residents here are great. They cover my patients for me” and “the more the better; it is less work for me”. The rotations at BMC are all over the map too – some in Springfield, many on the north shore, have to go outside the program to MGH during PGY2. The residents individually were cool but the camaraderie seemed to be lacking. You will be a trauma stud leaving here, though.

UC Irvine – Unfortunately I left my interview day with a really horrible impression of this place. Aside from one or two residents I did not connect with anyone here, to put it lightly. But that is why the interview process is important, right? I’m sure Irvine is a great program for certain applicants.

NOT RANKED
None. But that isn't to say it's absolutely ridiculous to not rank a place as some people on this site seem to suggest. 5 years is a long time. If you really dislike a program, so much so that you would rather scramble into a different field than attend, then don't rank ‘em. It’s not a sin to make that decision.

Matched at
Top tier - so thankful to be heading to a place that I was really hoping for.

Advice for future applicants
-Write down exactly what you want from a residency program before you get going with the interview process, and rank each program accordingly after its interview. I had just my two criteria mentioned previously (not that these two should be everyone's be all end all, just my examples). It is easy to get overwhelmed by stuff you didn't really care about on these interview days. Keep it simple.

-Be wary of the programs that effectively require applicants to revisit and/or tell them that they are #1. It is shady in terms of match rules, a sign of bad things to come – if they’re willing to bend the rules before you even start, what other rules will they bend during your residency? – and you don’t want your formative orthopaedic years being influenced by leaders who display this type of petty ego stroking. It is one thing to appreciate an applicant’s sincere interest but another to effectively require that kind of commitment.

-Above all else, be a good guy or gal. I made some really great friends on aways and the interviews circuit, and enjoyed getting to know the vast majority of my co-applicants. They are really impressive people and will be your colleagues from here on out. But every so often you meet that one jerk. Don't be him or her. Not only is it just poor form, but it comes across as a reflection of insecurity, which is not a good thing to be displaying on interview day. Also, people talk and word gets around quickly.

-Good luck! PM me if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

Med School: East coast, not top 50
Boards: Step 1: 240ish; Step 2: 250ish (both released)
Rank: top 25%
AOA: No
Preclinicals: Pass (P/F)
Clinicals: mostly Honors (including medicine and surgery), a few HP here and there
Ortho: Home, 2 aways
Research: 2 pubs (1 first author), multiple abstracts, posters, presentations
Extracurriculars: Standard set, nothing out of the ordinary
Letters: Ortho x 4

What I was looking for in a Program: Academic over community, good operative experience, good fellowship placement, research opportunities

How many Programs:
Applied to: 65
Offered Interviews: 18
Attended: 13

Tier 1 (listed alphabetically):

Brown: Basic science research here blows everybody else away in terms of resident involvement and quality. Strong partnerships with industry and it seemed like half the faculty were involved in designing a new device or implant. All services well covered and were based on a preceptorship model except for trauma. Also a VA rotation that gives great autonomy. 2’s get killed on night float for 4 months (upwards of 30 consults per night between adult and peds during the summer months) and are expected to present formal boards in the AM, but seniors seem to give a fair amount of help when things get busy. The chair, Dr. Ehrlich, started his presentation by telling us that Brown was the best residency program for training academic orthopods out there and then proceeded to give stats that backed up that claim. Mandatory 6th year trauma fellowship is the sticking point for most, but is really what brings the operative skill of these guys to another level. Seem to be very stats oriented, as Dr. Ehrlich has a checklist in front of him during the interview where he gives you points for boards scores, AOA, undergraduate institution, and whether you were a varsity athlete in college. All residents were very tight knit and great to work with, almost universally happy. Providence is an hour outside Boston and very livable.

Case Western: One of the best trauma and spine training programs anywhere, strong in virtually every subspecialty. Very resident-centric; highly underrated due to location. Great breadth of experience between UH, Metro (county hospital), and the VA. Night float system at UH, traditional call schedule at Metro. Chairman Dr. Marcus is extremely approachable and a huge resident advocate. Entire university is a research powerhouse. Ridiculous fellowships for the graduating class. Dedicated month in the classroom/anatomy lab free of all clinical responsibilities during intern year devoted to learning ortho. Operative experience starts early at the PGY2 year. Chief year is essentially a mini-fellowship year that allows residents to customize their education by picking and choosing cases. Great residents who seemed happy and well-trained. Cleveland is kind of a downer during the winter but decent amount to do in the city and cost of living can’t be beat.

Pitt: One of the best combinations of name, operative experience, and research anywhere. The chair, Dr. Fu, is arguably the most recognizable chairman in the country. He works viciously hard to make the residency program reputable. Over a dozen research labs cranking out high-quality research, with 4/8 residents admitted to a separate 6-year track and who take a research year between PGY-1 and 2. Those in the 6-year track take their boards at the end of PGY-5 year so that they take attending call Q5-6 for the entire PGY-6 year. This makes the lifestyle a little harder, but from what I’ve heard develops one’s operative skill tremendously. PGY-2s get absolutely killed at this program, as they are essentially on overnight call Q4 for the entire year and are responsible for preparing weekly hour-long conference presentations on many services. Most residents I met were friendly, many juniors seemed overworked. Lifestyle gets much better as a senior. Seemed to have residents leave in the past for whatever reason. Pittsburgh is a very underrated city, beautiful with low cost of living.

Vanderbilt: Believe the hype. From listening to other interviewees on the trail, this seemed to be the best program in the south. All subspecialties well covered, tremendous trauma experience. Junior residents get in the OR early and often. PGY 2s and 3s take in house 24 hour call a couple times a week, and many stay after their shift ends to operate. Tremendously well taken care of residents, with a great EMR system that you can access on free iPads each resident receives. Chiefs get virtually any fellowship they want, it really is a testament to the operative skill graduating residents leave with. They sacrifice some research time and opportunities for more time in the OR, but this does not seem to affect the quality of their fellowships. Program director is a huge advocate for the residents. Nashville is a great city with great food and a huge music scene, but is not for everyone.


Tier 2:
Michigan: Low-medium trauma volume and unionized residents make this one of the most desirable programs in the country. Much more of a graded operative experience, fairly ‘academic’ feel. Great research going on, especially in sports and hand. Research block in PGY3 year allows for some flexibility

Northwestern: Awesome location, chairman was fantastic as advertised. Most subspecialties well represented, definitely on its way up. Really great resident camaraderie, heavily favor rotators

UConn: Biggest surprise on the trail. Truly resident focused with no fellows. Light call schedule, plenty of ancillary staff, and dedicated to education. Very collegial atmosphere between faculty and residents.

Tufts: Great location, very happy residents, pretty good lifestyle. These guys seem to get a pretty good exposure to multiple different practice models. Located in a pretty nice part of town, so trauma is a little light, but PGY-4’s go to Brown for a couple months to beef up their exposure.

Ohio State: After being put on probation a couple years ago, this place has made huge strides, brought in a lot more faculty, and is continuing its upward trajectory. Chairman is stepping down, but this place has a lot of momentum going forward. Very nice residents, good teaching.


Tier 3:
LIJ
UMass
Toledo
Einstein (Bronx)


NOT RANKED: 0

I matched somewhere that I knew would train me well and where I could be happy.

Advice for future applicants:
Ortho is getting more competitive by the year. As more people with great stats apply to more places, away rotations will gain even more importance. I think as more people apply, more programs are going to start using hard cutoffs, making a strong step 1 score almost mandatory. Additionally, for applicants who are interested in academics, or who say they’re interested in academics, it always helps to back that claim up by having something substantial to talk about when asked about research. Other than that, just work hard, be respectful toward everyone you meet along the way, and be grateful for every opportunity that comes your way.

Med school: Top 50 Midwest
Boards: 250s step 1, step 2 nope
Preclinicals: All honors but 2
Clinicals: All honors
Ortho: Honors x 3
AOA: Yes
Research: 2 ortho projects, 1 ortho pub, 1 ortho podium pres
Extracurriculars: Large variety, from leadership to teaching to athletic; always brought up in interviews
LOR: May have been my biggest asset
Applied: 55. Offered: 31. Attended: 16.

What I was looking for:
- Extremely well-balanced. High quality teaching conferences, strong research support and plenty of faculty doing it, and most importantly an “early and often” operative experience. Bonus points for 1-on-1 operating with attendings as early as 2nd year. ALL subspecialties well represented including a solid tumor presence.
- Rotations in all subspecialties before the beginning of 4th year. I want to give all subspecialties a fair shot before it’s time to apply for fellowship. (In my opinion, all programs would ideally do this if their department can support it..) I also want to rotate through each subspecialty as a junior and again as a senior, as your skills and perceptions will change since the first time around.
- Track record for placement in top fellowships across all subspecialties
- Strong foundation in trauma. This is our bread-and-butter, and I think all programs would have it if they could. However, there is a fine line between trauma-heavy and trauma-too heavy that impedes on your exposure to the other subspecialties.
- Research: I wanted the support and volume there, but not so much that it is shoved down your throat or that it is expected to do more than the 1 project required by ACGME. Not sure if I’m heading down an academic career path, but I want all doors open down the road.
- Socially normal residents. Luckily all programs I saw had overall awesome residents whose first priority is to get the work done, but also enjoyed grabbing drinks, hanging out with each others' families together, etc., in their free time.
- All rotations in 1 city.
- A variety of clinical environments and operative experiences. Ideally, I wanted to go somewhere with the main teaching hospital, a VA, and a county hospital.

I would have been very happy at any of my top 10 or so, and ecstatic at my top 3. I thought that my top 3 had everything listed above.

Top 3: (Alphabetically)

Case Western- Huge academic name. Research may be unparalleled, with NIH funding many years being #1 in ortho research. Yet, what I liked, was that my future interest/dedication in doing research was never brought up in my interviews, despite the fact that 2 of 6 residents do an extra research year. Last year, Case was one of the few programs that piloted the 6 months of ortho during intern year. You have a month of anatomy dissection in intern year, where you teach medical students and are free from clinical duties. You get the UH, VA, and busy county hospital exposure. One of the few programs equally known for its academic name and operative training, highlighted by the trauma exposure at the county hospital. New private-practice-like surgery center seems to be a solid improvement. All subspecialties are covered prior to 4th year, with rotations as both junior and senior in all but tumor. PGY5 year is 4 months county hospital, 4 months VA, 4 months UH. Chairman is one of the nicest I met, and he emphasizes developing leaders in the field. Big time names with past and present presidents of various national organizations. Top fellowship placements. Cleveland is not for everyone, but has the standard Midwestern city life and Lake Erie.

Iowa: Huge academic name with ample research opportunities across all subspecialties. Chairman +/- PD rumored to likely be stepping down in the next 5-10 years, yet this is the type of place that simply reloads. 4 chairmen over the program’s 100+ year history. Like Case, was one of the few programs to pilot the new 6 months of ortho during intern year. Incredible learning environment, with high quality teaching conferences and humble personalities. During the 2-day interview you get to see a sample lecture led by the PD. All subspecialties represented equally with rotations in all as a junior (before 4th year) and as a senior. They made it clear to me that you are essentially 1-on-1 with attendings in the OR at all times, because the volume is so high. Not as naturally trauma-heavy as some, but you still see enough of the bread-and-butter and get some complex stuff since they cover such a large geographic area. Gorgeous comprehensive sports medicine center. No night-float, but the call schedule was fairly easy. Many, many, many babies among the residents, so definitely family-friendly. Iowa will get you your fellowship of choice. Iowa City is also not for everyone, but seemed like a fun Big Ten college town and is about 3 hours from Chicago.

Vanderbilt: Another huge name whose biggest strength is probably in operative training. Like Iowa, it was made clear that you are essentially 1-on-1 with attendings at all times within the team-based approach due to the high volume. All subspecialties represented equally with rotations in all as a junior (before 4th year) and as a senior. Trauma is one of the busiest in the country. Call-schedule wise, officially you are Q10 as a PGY2-PGY3, but in reality it’s more like Q5 for most of the year. You are either backup-call or primary call every 5 days on average. One of the only trauma-heavy programs that I had exposure to that did not have a night-float, and per residents and rotators, you rarely go home post-call. On call you cover both the busy adult ED and the Children’s ED (not in the same location of the hospital complex) and all floor work. This may or may not matter to you. Makes for a much easier years 4-5! Research less prominent than the 2 above, but still a place with incredible resources. Top fellowship placements. Very happy, diverse, fun residents. Nashville is awesome!

My other favorites: (Alphabetically)
Brown: Awesome program. Another one of the few programs, that at least I was fortunate enough to see, that has a top academic reputation along with the reputation for training excellent surgeons that could comfortably directly enter private practice if they wanted to. The research support here rivals anywhere, but it is not pushed onto anyone (except maybe by the chairman, Ehrlich, who is hilarious and a big resident advocate). He is very proud of the success Brown has placing his residents in top fellowships and academic leadership roles around the country. What’s even better is the fun group of residents. These residents for sure get worked hard on trauma, but they play hard in their free time too. The operative training here is across all subspecialties 1-2 times by the end of PGY4. There is, of course, the mandatory 6th year for all residents. However, the 6th year is unique in that it comes as PGY-6, you get paid $125-150,000, and it’s something like 50% research and 50% trauma fellowship. You function as a junior-level attending, with frequent call (sweet deal for the senior attendings). I liked that you do the 6th year with the same class of residents you did PGY1-5, and that you’re not separated off on your own for a PGY2 (purely research) year. If you can do 6 years and Providence, RI, definitely go to this interview.

Carolinas Medical Center: Another great, well-balanced program. Apprenticeship models in all subspecialties but trauma. Busy ED and a trauma-heavy program for sure- you spend something like 14-15 months on trauma. Rotators questioned the operative experience in trauma, as there are 3 trauma fellows and usually 2-3 trauma attendings operating at any one time. Outside of trauma, the op experience is probably fantastic. All subspecialties are covered well, and you get to see them as a junior and a senior. No VA or county hospital. 1 of the 5 residents does an extra PGY2 research year, and this was the only place that I went to that all residents are required to complete at least 2 research projects. For what it’s worth to the minority of you already set on academic careers: my school advisor said that while CMC is elite-level competitive due to being a “gentlemen’s club,” it has an average to above average academic reputation and research productivity (despite the heavier resident research requirements). However, this has to be one of the best community programs. The benefits here are among the best I saw. Great academic fellowship placement in trauma, foot/ankle, and peds. The big-time peds guy, Frick, was the former PD and left last year to be a chairman somewhere else. Another group of happy, diverse residents. Charlotte is another awesome city!

Duke: Duke or die. You gotta love it, or you may hate it. There is a huge clinical volume and a big name in orthopaedics, but with these also come 12 fellows per year in multiple subspecialties. They say you never double scrub, and that case assignments are made by the chiefs. I questioned if you would see a smaller variety of cases with fellows (appropriately) taking the complex ones and the emphasis on not scrubbing with fellows. I liked that you have the Duke, county, and VA experiences. In fact, I think it is necessary in order to have a complete training with the experiences you have at Duke Hospital (per my second-look and opinions of fellow second-lookers). Speaking of, there is no way around the reality of doing Duke’s second-look if you hope to have a shot here. As of this interview season, you do not see peds until 4th year (like UNC), but who knows if that will change with the new 6 months of ortho in intern year. You have a 6 month away rotation either in Atlanta for peds or in Asheville, NC for general ortho (therefore residents do not all have an equal experience). Got the night-float system as juniors, but I didn’t like that they place a serious emphasis on their PGY5s remaining in-house to supervise as often as Q5ish. The residents seemed like a fun group of work-hard-play-hard people that all love (of course) being at Duke. Durham is beautiful, and you have Chapel-Hill nearby.

Michigan: One of my favorite groups of residents, and it has the prestigious academic name. It would have been much higher for me if a couple rotators hadn't told me that the operative experience was weaker than they've seen elsewhere (double scrubbing). You see all subspecialties except tumor before PGY4, with perceived strengths in sports and peds. The PD is one of the more well-known tumor docs in the country, so I wouldn't worry about seeing it later as being a problem. They recently lost a peds attending to Carolinas, but a resident told me that this person was not well-regarded in the program. They are still making plans for how to implement the extra residents into upper level classes (recently increased to 8 residents from 6). They are sending some junior residents to a nearby private hospital now, which sounds like a great improvement to the program operatively. Ann Arbor seems like a cool city with less snow than surrounding regions due to its location west of Lake Erie. Sorta a mix of the larger Madison, WI and the smaller Iowa City in my mind.

Northwestern (non-rotator): Very academic in the sense that (straight out of a chief’s mouth:) “they take their conferences VERY seriously”and you “learn by the books before you touch the knife.” Not for everyone. You see all subspecialties (but tumor) before 4th year. You get the trio of Northwestern, Cook County Hospital, and the VA. I’m sure residents come out of here as excellent surgeons, but it will likely come a little later down the road than at other places. Beautiful hospital system, and it is only growing. The new chairman (from U Chicago) is an awesome guy. He came out for a bit at the social the night before the interview. He will definitely move this place in the right direction. PD is also super nice. Chairman admits that (surprisingly) research is probably their weakness, and they’ll be working to ramp it up. He also would like to bring in some fellows, which I thought was not necessarily a good thing as their lack of fellows is a big strength in my opinion. They claimed at the interview to plan to start filling their classes with around 50% rotators/Northwestern students, acknowledging that they may be missing out on some quality applicants by taking so many rotators in the past. Interview days are now exclusively non-rotators as they interview rotators during the rotation.

UNC: A unique university program in that they operative exclusively in an apprenticeship models (even in trauma). No VA experience (the vets go to Duke in nearby Durham), but you are working 1-on-1 with attendings early and often. One of their highly touted strengths is the high quality of their teaching conferences, which are (I think) exclusively led by attendings. Some awkward interactions with attendings in the interviews. In one of my interviews the attending said he was going to teach me about biomechanics of various fractures to see if his teaching style and my learning style were compatible. A downside of the program is that the trauma experience is in nearby Raleigh. The residents say they get strong operative training there, but you do have to commute 30+ minutes daily depending on where you live. As of now, you don’t see peds until 4th year. I didn’t like that you have PGY3 rotation(s) seeing new ED consults during the day, but I get the theory behind it. These residents seemed very happy being where they are, and the group is overall much more laid-back than their nearby rivals. Extra PGY2 research year is available through a separate match. Chapel Hill seemed like a fun college town in a pretty area, similar to Charlottesville.

UVA: A truly underrated (maybe just on orthogate?) program. One of the more complete programs, with strong research, operative experiences, and top fellowship placements, especially in sports and hand. Tumor presence is weaker than other programs. The biggest downside for many is that you spend 40 weeks as a PGY3-4 in Roanoke (2 hours away) for trauma. They put you up with an apartment there and you get some other benefits while in town. The trauma volume there is huge, and you get a huge boost in your operative skills by nature of being able to hand-pick which cases to join one an attending in. You don’t see F&A until 4th year, but they said you can see a ton of it in Roanoke if you want to. This program has solid leadership and will continue to get better in the years to come. Anyone that can handle the away rotations should strongly consider ranking this program highly. Charlottesville seemed like a really fun college town, highlighted by a lot of good food, frequent concerts, and many opportunities for outdoor activities immediately surrounding the city.

Wisconsin: A great program that prides itself on being well-balanced, with strong training across the board. Rotators and Wisconsin students vouch for this. All subspecialties (but tumor) are seen before 4th year. Hand is the perceived weakness of the subspecialties per home med students, with its strongest being spine (Chairman trained at Case and Johns Hopkins for spine, is a big resident advocate). Great group camaraderie here, with the interaction between residents and faculty seemingly fun and informal. Chairman or PD annually has residents over to go boating for a journal club. I think anyone would truly enjoy training here, and you would get a great operative training along the way. Less emphasis on research than other places listed here, if that’s your thing.

Not ranked: 0

Matched at: Top 3

Way longer than I ever thought I’d write.. but hopefully this helps someone out there like previous reviews helped me. Just remember that these reviews are so subjective. Everyone has a unique opinion of pros, cons, and what’s most important. One person’s top 5 is always different than the next person’s. What’s absolutely true is that there are few bad programs out there, so you’ll be well-trained almost anywhere you go! Enjoy yourself on the interview trail- there are truly great people going into ortho and there’s a strong chance you’ll end up with someone you meet along the way. Good luck!

Med school: Top 10
Boards: 259 step 1, step 2 251
Preclinicals: All honors
Clinicals: All honors (to be fair, everyone gets honors at my school)
AOA: Yes
Research: 2 ortho first authorships, 1 ortho second author, couple abstracts
Extracurriculars: Various leadership activities
Applied: 30. Offered: 25. Attended: 12.

What I was looking for in order of importance (this helped me make my list)
1. Surgical training (first and foremost, definitely. Well rounded. Hands on)
2. Trauma (I make this its own thing because I don’t think I want to do a trauma fellowship; but I also want to feel comfortable taking call. So I really wanted a strong trauma experience)
3. Good people (I wanted that tight knit team)
4. Location (I like cities big and small, I’m not a small town guy)
5. Fellowship placement (I wanted to see a variety of subspecialty matches in known programs)
6. Prestige (It’s a little embarrassing to admit this, but I used this as a tie breaker because for better or worse, prestige seemed to impact the presence of big name attendings and fellowship placements. Definitely not the rule, but I thought I saw a trend in this regard)

Tier 1 (alphabetical order)

Harvard: Big big program. Residents nerdy like me. Very welcoming and proud of their program. They knew their strengths and weaknesses and were comfortable with them. Seemed like there wasn’t too much pressure on the residents which was different from many other programs I saw. I really respect that. Boston is a fun city. Trauma is a weakness. Fellowships are a strength. Research is a strength. It’s a great program for someone aspiring for an academic career with heavy tilt on research.

HSS: Everyone is suuuuuper famous. Everyone is suuuuuuper talented. You’ll have a strong start to your career here. Residents were cool, but seemed a little stressed. Obvious research opportunities. NYC is the center of the world, so that’s cool. I felt that the trauma experience was shaky but I put it in the top tier because its HSS. I know.

Mt Sinai: I saw this as kind of a community program. Lots of cases with the residents spread pretty thin. No bells and whistles, this felt like an old school, hit the ground running show up early and operate all day kind of place. Residents seemed like a good bunch. Very NYC. Research is available but it seemed like there was little time for it. Trauma exposure comes from Elmhurst; seems more than sufficient. Good fellowships. Overall, great training in a great location.

UPenn: People use the word militant here a lot. I think its true but I wouldn’t give it a negative connotation. I think it means that they have a certain mold that they want. Seems to have a general surgery type of feel. If that’s your thing, check this place out. They’re building an ortho institute to rival the Rothman Institute down the street, so that’s pretty great. They push research hard, so be ready for that. Philly is a great town. My impression: great program if you fit, terrible if you don’t.

UW: Trauma. Trauma. Trauma. (seriously, they seem to have a great thing going here, but any topic you could possibly bring up eventually lead back towards trauma. Still seemed like great training though. Residents were cool. Seattle, rainy but awesome)

Yale: Amazing mix of great residents and great surgical exposure. These guys get worked for 5 years straight and trauma is definitely a strength. Residents know their stuff cold and know how to handle a busy ED. Lots of cases in everything all the time. Top fellowship matches. Plenty of research time. New Haven seemed like it’d be a good place for 5 years; but its not a big city. They just bought a neighboring hospital which they’re transforming into a musculoskeletal institute so that’s impressive. Overall, bomb program.

Tier 2 (alphabetical order)

Brown: Good training. Pretentious. Lots of double/triple scrubbing (eh) but they make up for it with the 6th year. Great trauma exposure. Great fellowships. Providence, eh. Residents were nice. It’s a great place, but too many “eh” points for me to place it in Tier 1.

Jefferson: Felt like a fellowship machine. Residents were cool. Philly is a great town. Ship you to a bunch of places for trauma, peds, etc. I wasn’t crazy about that. You’d be a cog in the Rothman machine. Good program, just not a Tier 1 place for me personally.

Miami: Great place with very cool residents. Amazing trauma exposure. The only reason I made it Tier 2 was because your well-rounded surgical exposure is sacrificed for a rock solid trauma exposure. While I wanted great trauma, I didn’t want to constantly be pulled from my other rotations to get it. But make no mistake, this program is GREAT.

Stanford: Off putting. Residents disinterested in getting to know applicants. Program was pretentious. I’ve heard bad things about the surgical experience but no first hand knowledge of it. Beautiful location.

UCLA: Not sure I’m cool enough for this program. Residents were fun (mostly) and very much into the party scene. Place was amazing. Question the trauma and surgical exposure; which is why its in my Tier 2. But to be clear, this would be a wonderful program to match into.

UMass: I had heard great things and they’re all true. This is a great training experience with very cool residents. Great fellowships. Solid trauma experience. You shuttle between a few hospitals but they’re all very close. Worchester…ehhhhhhhh. Attendings were very nice and personable. No faults with the program, I just wasn’t crazy about the location.

Matched at my 2nd choice! I can’t wait to get started!!! Well…I want to severely injure my liver for the next 2 months, THEN I can’t wait to get started.

Advice: Be honest with yourself about what you want. You don’t have to justify anything to me, or your classmates or your mom or whatever. Know what you want and rank accordingly. Also know that there are tons of great programs that will train you well so don’t worry that you’ll be slighted by choosing one program over another. Good luck!

Congrats to all that matched! Awesome reviews from everyone.

Just a question about experiences with away rotations. Did any of you feel that timing of away rotations affected interview invites or matching?