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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Student Portal

Orthopedic Surgery Specialty at a Glance

Students interested in a career in orthopaedic surgery will prepare for the care of patients whose musculoskeletal problems include congenital deformities, trauma, infections, tumors, metabolic disturbances of the musculoskeletal system, deformities, injuries and degenerative diseases of the spine, hands, feet, knee, hip, shoulder and elbow in children and adults.


Match Statistics

Mean USMLE Step 2 CK score: 256
USMLE Step 2 CK 25th percentile: 249
USMLE Step 2 CK 75th percentile: 263
Average number of research experiences: 3
Average number of abstracts, presentations and publications: 12
Program signals for 2023 match: 30 Blue

Students should consider this specialty if they:

  • like working with their hands in a surgical subspecialty.

  • like taking care of all ages of patients.

  • would like to apply mechanics to treatment of human disease.

Participating students should enroll in the Canvas course for Ortho Medical Student Engagement and get involved in the Ortho Student Interest Group for chances to learn and engage.

Students should take at least one Phase 3 elective in Indianapolis prior to doing two to three away rotations.

The surgery sub-I is recommended for students going into orthopaedic surgery.

Orthopaedic surgery is a very competitive specialty, and two to three away rotations are recommended, schedule permitting.

Research in this specialty is particularly important. Students should get involved as soon as possible. Contact Anne Nguyen to find potential opportunities. Research opportunities that are specialty specific are recommended.

The length of this residency is five years, then often an additional year of fellowship.

The orthopaedic surgery specialty uses the eSLOR. This can be found on the American Orthopedic Association (AOA) website.

Students can find a plethora of resources by:

  • Joining the Ortho Medical Student Engagement Canvas course

  • Joining the Ortho Student Interest Group

  • Networking with prior successful orthopaedic surgery residents

Students interested in pursuing orthopaedic surgery can request career mentors using the Career Mentor Request form. Hollyn Mangione (hmangion@iu.edu) will follow up with them. Career mentoring primarily targets Phase 3 students to assist them through the match process, but earlier involvement opportunities are also available.