To be honest, with scores in the 95th percentile, research with a possible publication, and likely to do well on away rotations, you'd be a lock...if you were at an American medical school. I think less than 10% of all people who matched Ortho were foreign medical graduates. However, this should not discourage you. If ortho is what you want to do then you'll find a way. You may have no problems at all. It just seems to be harder for foreign medical grads. Good luck and work hard.
--On a somewhat related note: my grandmother was born and raised just outside Beirut.

I agree with A.T. All I would add is this. You may very well be a superstar, but I would first get those high board scores before telling people you're sure to score in the top 5%. Maybe it's just me, but that can come off as arrogant, which will not impress any program. Second, if you really are a star, every program is going to be wondering what was wrong with our US med schools that you had to go to the Mid East.

Thank you AT & DJ for your comments... I just want to clarify something to DJ. I'm not claiming that I am a superstar , it's just that I think that I can score really high IF I WORK HARD...who knows, maybe I'll even fail or get really bad grades, but I think that confidence & hard work are both as important . As for yhe mid-east , well I've lived here for a long time, long before graduating from high-school...so there's nothing wrong with your med schools, on the contrary...
I would appreciate any more comments or advices, like for example what are the credentials of these less than 10 % foreign medical grads who DO get accepted in ortho residency programs....and if being canadian is considered like any oyher foreign medical grad...any advice concerning some good elective rotations I could apply to....& if there are some of you interested in canadian programs, I would also appreciate some advice about those.
thanks guys...

PS: by the way AT, I also live just outside beirut ...do you know where exactly was your grandma?maybe we're neighbors, or even family!!!

If you'll pardon my americanized butchering of what is an Arabic city name, I believe it is spelled Xahle (pronunciation is Zah lay). My grandmother's (arabic- sittie ) family goes many generation back to lebanon, she moved to the US with what became my grandfather in the late 40s taking a boat from Greece to NY. I think she has 1 brother left in lebanon and a few nieces and nephews. Her other sisters and brothers (9 total kids) have all passed away.