Med School: USNWR Top 25
Boards: Step 1: 259 Step 2: 265 taken before start of 4th year, sent to programs
Rank: 2nd quartile
AOA: Noooope
Preclinicals: All P
Clinicals: H in peds, surg, medicine. HP FM, psych, OB.
Ortho: Home and 2 aways
Aways: 2 different programs in the west, interviews at both
Research: multiple non-ortho projects, 2x presentations, no pubs. 1 long-term ortho device project, no pub.
Extracurriculars: Lots, clubs, sports, leadership, nothing super outstanding.
What I was looking for in a Program:
Planning to go into private practice, so hand on clinical experience was paramount to reputation and academics. Region also a priority but less than good operative experience.
How many Programs:
Applied to: 69
Offered Interviews: 13
Attended:12
Tier 1:
Wash U in St. Louis (2014-2015):
This place is baller and they know it. 5/year The PD is a great business man who knows how to sell the program, but he snapped at a group of secretaries who were trying to herd us into our interviews, which I have heard is quite common for him. In speaking to rotators I have heard the atmosphere here is more formal in the operating room with some attendings. Had a lot of residents present for the interview day, and they were all kind of professional seeming but happy. They have all the resources to support your pursuit of any research or subspecialty goals, and they also have a newish outpatient ortho surg center which seems to be a resident boon at most programs due to number of cases churned out. Very pleasantly surprised by St. Louis. There are some really cool neighborhoods close to the med center which offer apartment options and great social stuff, probably have to live a bit farther out if looking to buy but sounds like this is an option as well. Sports and arts stuff throughout year. Fellows probably impact the resident experience somewhat but the residents didn’t bring it up. I got the overall impression that this was a fairly formal program that was trying to come off as more bro-ey and familial than it actually was. Great training and reputation of course. Tons of interviews (8-9), at least 3v1, two panel rooms 4-5v1. They had done you the service of reading your app for the most part, few stupid interview type questions. Pros: Outstanding reputation, training, and fellowship options. St. Louis seemed pretty good. Cons: More formal, sounds intense at times. Residents maybe less close here.
UC Davis (2014-2015):
I got a great feeling from this program. 5/yr, everything located centrally on one campus. All specialties represented, some thinner than others. Like the way the residents interacted at the social, and rotators said they got good operative experience. Strong in trauma and work hardest there in the second year as elsewhere. Has had some turnover in leadership and attendings recently, but everything seemed to be functioning smoothly while I was there. I think there is a fairly strong fellow presence here but as always the residents and faculty insist it doesn't make a difference. (As an aside, I wouldn't believe this for the most part. A fellow is always just another more senior pair of hands in between you and the knife regardless of the school.)
Utah (2014-2015):
Really liked this 5/yr program. Very balanced with plenty of attendings in each specialty. Basically all the stuff written in the past applies. One con may be that the residents here didn’t feel as close as some other programs I visited. They didn’t joke around much and seemed to be all about the work for the most part, certainly not a bro program. Also, it’s about 50/50 whether you’ll get invited back if you rotate, so keep that in mind. Interview day was about 8 1v1 interviews with faculty. Some interesting questions, mostly laid back. Chairman is a little odd, hard to read during interview. SLC great for the outdoors but not a cultural hotspot per se. I was disappointed by the lack of nightlife, weird liquor laws, and fairly sparse culinary scence.
Campbell Clinic:
Being from the west, this place was a bit of a wild card for me. I had heard amazing things about it being the "last bastion of resident autonomy," etc., and I was actually really impressed on the interview day. It is the first ortho residency program in the country, and they have a lot of history. Huge names in the field mixed with young attendings create a very nice mix, and all seemed interested in teaching from my experience and in talking to rotators. CC has an infamous trauma experience, 2s work 24 on 24 off, but in return they operate a ton. It's definitely chiefs leading juniors on trauma with variable attending presence, seemed like some attendings didn't even come in. Otherwise it's peceptorship on other services. Memphis is a little rough around the edges but the parts of town they took us through on the tour were pretty cool and I think you could make it work with a little knowledge of the bad areas. 8-9 1v1 interviews.
Tier 2:
Western Michigan (2014-2015): Smaller program (3 per year) with really down to earth residents who are obviously there to learn how to operate in a setting that isn’t going to destroy their lives. They seem to get most of the perks of a larger program, the hospital that they rotate at the most is quite nice, and seems to provide ample trauma and caseload in general. Almost all faculty are “community Faculty” with many having trained at WMU. The attendings I met were all nice and down-to-earth, the slideshow showed all the residents grilling and water skiing at one of the attending’s lakeside houses. The attendings actually screen all patients in the ED before the resident sees them, which seems ridiculous, and may actually be too much oversight, or may be really nice as you’re not getting woken up for foot pus. The residents seems to get along well, but don’t really get to spend much time together on service as it’s mostly a mentorship model. Kalamazoo seemed like a nice town, 200-300K, with a college and good sized university. It has all the bars and food that you could want and real estate is incredibly affordable. Residents all played up the quality of life aspect here, with many having families before or during residency. They say they get good fellowships and that research is possible here, but I think you would really need to be proactive on both fronts to ensure your own success. They do have a rotation in 4th year to go scope out a fellowship if you want. Interview day: 6 1-person interviews, very laid back. Pros: Good lifestyle, good operative experience, fun-seeming town, collegial atmosphere. Cons: Small program, very low profile, not widely recognized nationally.
University of Arizona (2014-2015):
Smaller program located in Tucson, which is a pretty good sized city. Very laid back atmosphere on interview day here, with the PD saying that residents should turn on a college football or basketball game on the overhead because the applicants were being too quiet and awkward. Takes 3 residents per year. There are two grads there right now with one being a graduating chief and the other a PGY3. Everyone I met seemed really nice, and they spoke candidly about their program. They rotate for 2 months at Utah in their 2nd year which apparently is an enjoyable rotation for the residents as the faculty have offered to find another solution and the residents have opted to keep the current arrangement. Also have to go to Phoenix as a 5 for tumor. Research is an option here although like other small programs you probably have to be a bit of a go getter. They do have the ever-present “research requirement” that you’ll find everywhere. Usual perks. Interview day: 6ish 1-3 person interviews, generally very laid back but the chairman room seemed a little like a “bad cop” room to me. Pros: Small program, nice faculty, out west, nice winters, good operative experience. Cons: Lots of traveling as part of program, somewhat thin in some specialties but definitely not a deal-breaker, hot in the summer, Tucson has typical border state issues
University of Rochester (2014-2015):
A larger and more academic program located in Rochester, NY. They take 7/year here and have a stellar reputation among the rest of the ortho community. They are in the top two for ortho research funding and they like to let you know that on interview day. They just lost their chairman who left to take the chair position at Wash U, and he had a large research lab which he’s taking with him. Everyone on the interview day was quick to say this wouldn’t affect the program’s history of excellence, and I tend to believe them. I missed the social with was a hockey game, but the residents I met on interview day were great and eager to talk about the program. I got the impression that the program was very well balanced ad that their trauma experience is the most grueling aspect of the residency. These guys get great matches for fellowship, and all residents endorsed their program highly. Rochester seemed like an OK city, but I didn’t get much of a look at it at all. Residents both buy and rent, with the buyers living somewhat farther from hospital (15 mins), but they say both are great options and there are many safe neighborhoods. 4-5 laid back 1 on 1 interviews, applicants all interview with different faculty. Didn’t feel like most of them had looked at my app. Pros: Great program that would allow residents to pursue any career they want. Rochester somewhat of an unknown but upstate NY is nice and the city is large enough to offer a lot of opportunities but small enough to be safer and affordable. Cons: Few direct flights in. Harder working than smaller programs.
Nebraska:
5/year in Omaha. Social at a brewery, somewhat sparse resident showing but those that came were really chill and had good things to say about the program. Seemed to know each other well and get along great. UNMC just started taking trauma patients 24/7, which they historically had split with Creighton which is also there. Apparently Creighton is taking on water and the UNMC program seems to be severing most ties with that hospital. Residents didn’t seem to care. Everything actually pretty well represented, unfortunately they are losing their main F&A person to private practice so will likely be looking for a hire there. Research is not emphasized here with the exception of this ridiculous biomechanics run by a kooky guy named Hani Haider. You will get a tour of his lab, which mainly tests wear and total joint implants, but also has a lot of biomechanical side projects. The tour is mostly Haider telling you why he is great, but I found it amusing. 6ish 2v1 interviews. Faculty were good for the most part. Liked the PD, Mormino, who seemed pretty serious about the program and the resident experience. Pros: Relatively balanced, laid-back program. Close resident comradery, good lifestyle and housing market. Cons: Less well-known, maybe thin in some sub-specialties. Not research heavy.
U Washington:
Sadly unimpressed with this big name program. From what I could tell the great trauma experience is really only great for the fellows. There are FIVE trauma fellows, and they definitely seem to have priority when choosing cases, per those that rotated. The residents that I met on interview day were nice, but I heard that this wasn't always the case in the trenches. Seattle is amazing but starting to achieve San Fran status in terms of COL. Lots of driving to difference clinical sites. I do think this program has a great breadth of experience but the culture of the program is of the "put your head down and do it" mentality. Would be concerned that even though I had seen a great deal of amazing trauma, I wouldn't actually know how to do it when I was the attending in practice.
Tier 3:
Colorado (2014-2015):
Very hard working program 6/yr. Intern at the county hospital arrive at 3:30, leave between 6-7pm, 6-7 days per week. Residents very competitive and rank is pronounced here as said before. I witnessed chief residents cutting down junior residents in conference, and this attitude seems to pervade as you go up the resident totem pole. Junior residents were great, but it’s tough to say if they’ll stay great in that culture. Also the sites are super spread out with leads to lots of driving in crappy Denver traffic. May not get invited back if you rotate, they changed that this year. I wouldn't necessarily rotate here anyway given my experience with the program. I know rotators who didn't come back for an interview even when invited because of their experience.
UCSF-Fresno (2014-2015):
Newer program graduating their first chief class this year. All have chosen to pursue fellowship and sounded like they were satisfied with their options coming from this program. It seems like this program has had some issues in the past with the growing pains of a new program with rotations and faculty issues, but the chiefs said most of the kinks were worked out and that the new PD Matirosian was responsive. Chairman also seemed great. The faculty I met on interview day were great. They do a number of rotations with a private ortho group with apparently is a good experience but more on the observership end of the spectrum. They do boast a very heavy caseload at the main hospital, and all residents seemed satisfied with their experience there. They go to UCSF for tumor. Fellow interference non-existent. They will try to sell you on Fresno but it seemed a little rough to me. Definitely not SF or LA, but closer to outdoor and agriculture stuff. 5-6 1v1 or 2v1 interview rooms. Laid back. Will talk about your background and why Fresno doesn’t suck. Missed social but they had it at one of the resident’s house and they were making jokes about beer pong so I assume it was fun. Pros: Small program with good op experience. Town affordable. No fellows. Congenial residents and faculty. Awesome staff gym on site which apparently they all use daily. Cons: Little known name, still somewhat questionable on fellowships though I feel like this is an overplayed worry for matching MS4s. Not sure how valuable private rotations are to op experience.
UC Irvine
This was probably the weirdest interview day that I had. The chair is super confident in the way that he welcomes the applicants and talks about the program, almost to the point where you don't believe him because he is so nonchalant about it. The PD seemed nice but I agree with others that he seemed to take backseat to Dr. Gupta. The interviews themselves were pretty random, some super laid back, some with pimping, and some where the chair just used the whole time to debate whether their new pamphlet should have orthoPEDics or orthoPAEdics. Left without a good feel for how the residents liked the program as I only saw 2-3 the whole day, and the ones I did see were kind of strange. Probably good operative experience in a beautiful yet extremely expensive part of CA.
NOT RANKED
None, would obviously be a luxury, and probably an unwise choice in this specialty regardless.
Matched at: (did away there, where on ROL, etc)
Top tier.
Advice for future applicants:
First, do well in clerkships, USMLE, etc. You know all this. Choose your aways carefully, and wouldn’t do more than 2. I also don’t believe in “opening up regions” with your aways. Pick somewhere you either want to get a closer look at the program or somewhere you think you can really impress people and get a good shot at landing an interview. AOA does count for something, especially for tip top tier places, but clerkship grades are subjective so don’t stress if you aren’t. Apply broadly I guess, but ortho applicants nationwide are shooting themselves in the foot by applying to so many places, but that’s the reality for now. As far as the interview trail, just enjoy seeing new places and don’t stress, almost all interviews were chill and get to know you in nature. I think the bottom line, and probably this year more than any before, is that this whole application process is a crap shoot. There are SO MANY highly qualified applicants with outstanding board scores, or 10 publications, or prior D1 athletic experience, or all of the above, that it is very easy to get lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately I don’t have any great advice about how to stand out. I think we would all fare better if people limited their applications a little bit more, but it’s kind of a prisoner’s dilemma and isn’t likely to improve save outside intervention. Last, cooperate with your fellow applicants from home and elsewhere as they can be great resources for programs you don’t know much about. GOOD LUCK.
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