Review of Duke University program - just finished externship

Thanks for the great review Colles. What's up with the ties?!?! I want to do ortho so I can wear polo shirts when I am not in scrubs.

thanks for taking the time to review their program. very helpful indeed. did you get an idea from the residents or attendings on what type of applicants end up matching there (i.e. what are they looking for: honors, scores, AOA, whether or not you rotated through)?

I didn't get any specific indications but I can tell you what I noticed. This place is mostly a white male-dominated program. There is currently 1 woman (pgy2) in the entire residency (8 per year). The guys are all your typical ortho guys - smart as h$%&, work out all the time, and fun to hang out with. I had a mini interview at the end of my session with the program director (Dr. William Hardaker) and he indicated that rotaters are given preference. Also, he directly told me that you should tell him personally if you're very interested in the program. I don't know the grades/honors/etc. for the current residents but I can tell you they're mostly from big name schools. Although a few residents are from duke med school each year, Dr. Hardaker told me there are NO quotas and some years they've taken no duke grads and some years they've taken up to 7 of the 8!

Where did you live during your rotation? I'll be there in October.

Check out I was able to find a place with some nice grad students for a pretty good deal. Also, if you're going in October...just know that they'll give you scrubs and a pager. Bring lots of shirts (& ties)! Good luck...

Thanks for tip. Any advice on where the best spots are?