Surgeon Jobs

Orthopedic Surgeon Job Description

Orthopedic surgery is the branch of surgery which treats acute, traumatic, and chronic injuries of overuse in the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons treat most ailments including arthritis, congenital deformities, and trauma using surgical and non-surgical treatments.

A brief orthopedic surgeon job description would include the mention of several common procedures performed by an orthopedic surgeon which are repairing bone fractures, joint replacement and arthroscopy, as well as spinal or back surgery.

To begin your journey to becoming an orthopedic surgeon, you must first start with a college four-year undergraduate program which should include a year of biology, two years of chemistry and one year of physics. After completing your undergraduate courses, you must then take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This is a test that lasts for one day and includes four sections, they are biological sciences, verbal, physical sciences as well as a written sample.

Medical school applications follow the MCAT and come in two rounds-preliminary and secondary. Depending on the school, admittance rates range from 5% to 10% of applicants being accepted.

Once you have begun medical school, there are four years for completion. The first two years are classroom based and the next two are hospital based learning. Graduate medical school with and M.D. or D.O.

After passing board exams, which are taken during medical school there are four years of residency, which should include studying the fundamentals of orthopedic surgery and rotating the the various sub-specialties at different hospitals so that you get good exposure to all of orthopedic surgery.

Once you have completed your residency, there is an option to complete a one-year fellowship to focus on sub-specialties in orthopedic surgery such as sports medicine or pediatric orthopedics.

Orthopedic surgeons get paid well, and are in high demand, since many surgeries performed by orthopedic surgeons are related to aging and sports-related injuries. The pay for an orthopedic surgeon varies based on region, specialty and experience, but the average pay has been listed as around $380,000 per year in the United States.

Most orthopedic doctors are considered to specialize in general orthopedics, but many other specialties exist including spine surgery, sports medicine, hands and upper extremity, adult reconstruction, pediatric orthopedics, foot and ankle, trauma and muskuloskeletal oncology. An orthopedic surgeon job description would show an average work week of about 55 hours, which would be divided between clinic and surgery and any administrative duties required.

Becoming an orthopedic surgeon takes many years, but the rewards are many and the pay is excellent. Getting to work in a trauma setting or a clinical setting is also an advantage for working in the specialty of orthopedics.