bonepain Registered User Posts: 2 (2/26/01 5:20:54 pm) Reply MS3s interested in ortho I am sure all the MS3s out there are waiting with interest as to how the match turns out at their respective school. I know I am. My main questions have to do with getting an ortho residency. I have just recently decided that I want to do ortho. Up to this point I was on my way to general surgery. Since I am fairly clueless about what to do from here on out, I was hoping the people on this site could help. Here is my situation, Numbers wise: very strong (252 step 1/junior AOA) clerks: ok, mainly "high pass" maybe 1 honors, good evals though. research: none school rep: average, mediocre state school connections: none recs: don't know ANY ortho attending. My question is this, am I too late? Will my lack of a well rounded application kill my chances? Or should I just hope that mt numbers can carry me? What should I do from here to make my app stronger, and increase my chances of matching. I would like to go to a top 15 program (since I think I could have done it in general surgery). Thanks for any advice. Edited by: OrthoDoc at: 2/26/01 6:09:12 pm orthosurg1 Registered User Posts: 7 (2/26/01 11:48:22 pm) Reply Get on it The last time I looked, it was only the end of February. I think that you still have enough time to do a lot of things. One, try to set up an ortho rotation at your school. Two, you could be working on setting up some away rotations or at the very least looking at programs that you may be interested in. Three, find out what type of ortho projects are currently going on at your school and see if you could help out on one. I also recommend that you go through some of the old posts on this forum and see what they had to say. If I may ask, I would be interested in what made you change from general surgery to ortho? Sorry to sound like a future interviewer. bonepain Registered User Posts: 4 (2/27/01 8:32:12 pm) Reply change of heart Thanks for your advice. I know it is early on, but the folks that I know in my class who are going for ortho seem like they have been preparing since the first day of first year. They are really intense. As for gen surgery. I am not sure what specifically changed my mind, but it happened after my gen surgery rotation. The rotation was fun, but it just seemed like the department was very malignant. The residents really didn't seem all that happy, and one (one of the nicer ones I might add) sat me down and told me that he wanted to do ortho but matched in general. He asked me why I wanted to do general, and I said "I want to operate a lot on different parts of the body." He pretty much convinced me that I could do that in ortho, on generally healthier patients, work with happier people, and have a better lifestyle when I am done. He pretty much sold me. After I looked into it a bit, watched a couple procedures, met a couple residents.... I relized it was the way to go. I think it is ironic that a gen surgery resident was the one who steared me away from it. crazy joe davola Registered User Posts: 16 (2/28/01 12:42:02 am) Reply change of heart Obviously I agree with those positive aspects of ortho, or I wouldn't be doing it. However, don't bail on general surgery too quickly. It sounds like you did some digging and thinking to come to your decision, but don't be distracted/dissuaded because of a malignant program or an unhappy set of residents. I guess I'm assuming you went through the general surgery vs. ortho arguments pretty thoroughly. Be sure you're very satisfied with the variety and amount of input/advice you've received. It sounds like you are. Underdog1974 Registered User Posts: 11 (2/28/01 5:57:03 am) Reply General Surgery Most of the students who are applying in general surgery from my school are actually interested in areas NOT accessible otherwise--CT surgery, peripheral vascular surgery, and pedi surgery being the most popular fields, it seems. Five years of hell in general surgery are a necessary evil to attain those sorts of fellowships. I think I only know one student who is applying for general surgery... just for the sake of being a general surgeon. Crazy! Especially when you consider that being a general orthopaedist is a great way to go. Some people, I guess, REALLY like operating on the abdomen. residencygirl Registered User Posts: 2 (3/7/01 9:39:49 pm) Reply Re: MS3s interested in ortho You've got great board scores, AOA certainly helps. Go and talk to the residency coordinator in the Ortho Dept. See if they know of possibly any research projects that possibly you could get involved in. I know that at this time, the program where I work, we have students who like you have decided that they need something to help boost their application and there are approximately 25 students vying for 2 research projects. Get to know the residents, especially the senior resident. If you could get in on a research project then you would have the opportunity to meet an attending and get the letter of recommendation. Are these any outside activities where you could get to meet an attending? I know 3 weeks ago, we had a get together at the home of one of the attendings. There were many students there, many who would like to get into Ortho but didn't know any attendings, they took advantage of the chance, met them on a one to one basis. Are you a religious person, perhaps you could go to the church where some of the attendings attend, get to know them. Attend basic science lectures, grand rounds, whatever you need to do to meet Ortho residents and attendings. However, remember that no one like an obnoxious student, so keep that in mind! Remember that programs aren't just looking for the person with the highest USMLE scores or the highest rank in the class but that we are looking for well-rounded individuals. Good luck in your future endeavors. bonepain Registered User Posts: 7 (3/8/01 1:01:18 pm) Reply interview question Thanks for the reply. You mentioned in another post that you are the residency coordiator for a "top residency program." So my question is this, what kind of applicants do you interview?? Also, if I do manage to get more involved in my ortho department, maybe with a little research and a few rotations, would I be able to get an interview? I am just trying to gauge where I stand. Thanks. bonepain residencygirl Registered User Posts: 3 (3/10/01 11:48:56 am) Reply Re: interview question We interviewed a wide variety of applicants. Some had just a little research and a few rotations. Others had lots of research, publications, etc. For me there are three things that I really look at, the personal statement, the Dean's letter and the letters of recommendation. I have worked as a residency coordinator for 12 years so I do know my business. Like I said before get to know your coordinator, let them know that you're interested in pursuing a career in Orthopaedics and ask them if they know of any attendings who are looking for any type of help with research or any residents who might need help. In your personal statement, try and convey your passion for Ortho and why it means so much to you. Great letters of recommendation from lesser known Orthopods are preferred over mediocre letters from well known Orthopods. If you have any other questions, please send me an e-mail and I will try to help you in any way that I can. It makes me happy to try and help students to pursue their dream of becoming Orthopods.