A house officer is an md, usually with at least a year of general internship under their belt but without a dedicated match into the specialty of their choice. In the case of Lenox, I know the following:
1. The spot is for a house officer, not a spot in the residency
2. The responsibilities and role played as an orthopaedic house officer is roughly equivalent to those of a pgy-2
3. The utility of the house officer position is that it offers those unable to match directly into Ortho out of medical school an opportunity to build their resume, establish working relationships with Attendings who may later prove useful for applications, etc....
4. The house officer is not guaranteed a spot in any orthopaedic program because they have served as house officer
5. The house officer salary is roughly equivalent to that of a PGY2.
6. Some BUT NOT ALL former house officers have gone on to obtain residency positions in Orthopaedics either at Lenox or elsewhere. There are no guarantees