What education do I need to become an orthopedic surgeon?

Answer 1

One of my son's became an Emergency Room doctor recently and I will say it was a long and difficult experience for him. He was always a bright guy, and his pre-med was done as a B.S. in Biology. He graduated with honors, and was accepted to the two medical schools he applied too. Medical School was four more years of constant study with only his first summer off, then it was all year long for the other 3 years. He graduated Med school 18 out of his class of 120. Then he was accepted to his 3 year residency in Emergency Medicine, which was in another city so he moved and set up his household there. (All of this is expensive. We tried to help and did, but all in all he borrowed $100,000, because he went to a state school. [$150,000 with the interest he will have to pay] even though we paid his whole 4 years of college also at a state school Friends of his who went to private med schools owed as much as $250,000 before they got out of school and into a residency.) His 3 year residency was a grueling time of long hours and constant critisim of his knowledge and techniques. Many of his medical friends have said that the average young American male just won't put up with that kind of sacrafice anymore, even if the rewards eventually are impressive. My son's med school class of 2001 had 52% women students, and now we are seeing more and more foriegn students applying simply because there are less and less American youth willing to put that much time and effort into the process. When I was going to college some 38 years ago many of my chemistry, physics, and zoology classes were shared with pre-med students hoping to be accepted to medical school. There was so much cheating even then, that it was a shame to see that these people who may have my life in their hands one day were willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get to that point in their career. Orthopedic Surgery usually requires a 5 year residency, 2 years longer then my son experienced in Emergency Medicine. During that time he was only earning about $38 to 53 thousand, a year even though he had achieved chief resident status in his final year. He was about 30 years old by the time he was earning a real doctor's salary. (Early on he had complained that he would be about 30 years old before he would really be a doctor and he had some second thoughts. I reminded him that one day he would be 30 years old regardless of what he decided to do.. He went back into the program.) A lot of his doctor friends have expressed that if they knew what was ahead of them when they first got started they never would have done it. What ever happens in your life think about that... But also good luck whatever your decision is. Remember in life it is the journey, not the destination that counts.

Answer 2

You need a bachelor of science degree (4 yr.), then medical school (4 yr.), then an internship (1 yr.) and residency (2 yr.). If you then decide to specialize, you have 4 more years in your area.

Answer 3

You need a Doctors degree (MD) plus additional courses to obtain the Orthopaedic designation.

Answer 4

That would be med school.