Schooling for an Orthopedic surgeon?

Question

I am a freshmanin high school and I would like to become an Orthopedic surgeon one day, I make great grades in my Pre-Ap science class and my Pre-Ap math class and I intend to do so for the rest of my high school years. I would like to know which colleges and medical school's are the best for this particular medical field and how long it will take before I can begin residancy. I

I live near washington University and have heard that it is one of the top medical schools. Is that true?

Answer 1

eh not quite...in the real world, this is how you would become an orthopedic surgeon

4 years of college with or without a degree
4 years of med school (2 years of classes followed by 2 years of hospital rotations)...finishing in the top 25% of your class with >230 on USMLE
5 years of orthopedic residency
Orthopedic surgeon

While I guess it is possible to do a 5 year (i have never heard of a 7 year residency other than neurosurgery) surgery residency and then fellowship in orthopedics for ~2 years, thats pretty idiotic since you could just do it all at once in 5 years and be done with it. Dont listen to people that dont know what they are talking about (in other words, the guys that answered before me).
And dont set your sights too early on being a surgeon. The life really sucks until you actually get out of residency and then it is still 60+ hrs/week. Try to get a real idea about what life is like in medical school and as a surgeon before you discount other possibilities. Good luck.

Edit: It doesnt matter at all where you go to college and matters very little where you go to medical school. The main thing to look at is where you would like to do your residency (state, hospital, etc.) and see what their selection criteria is like. Getting into medical school is competitive, but getting a top residency is much worse. So just try to give yourself the best opportunity to prosper, in other words you dont have to kill yourself at harvard to get where you want to go. Pick a major and a college you will enjoy (not necessarily a science major even though thats what everyone will say; i didnt do one and i'm in med school so go figure) because you will do better and have more fun and have something to fall back on if medicine doesnt work out.

Check out this site to learn a little more about the life and schooling
http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/som/meded/education/medStudents/curricularAffairs/OfficeCurricularAffairs/residencyselection/ortho%20surgery.html

Answer 2

1. Go to a good college, doesn't really matter which one, just make sure you get stellar grades. 4 years
2. While in college take the MCAT and score well.
3. Get accepted to a Medical school, get good grades and do well on your USMLE board exams. 4-5 years
4. Get accepted into residency program for General Surgery, prepare for no social life whatsoever. 7 years
5. Get accepted into a fellowship for Orthopedic Surgery. Not sure how long this would take.
6. Your a Orthopedic Surgeon


Hey maybe I was wrong about the 7 years but I do know surgeons who did a 7 year residency. But that doesn't mean you have to go around insulting people. My goal isn't to be a surgeon so I have no interest in the length of the residency, my source was from other surgeons.

Answer 3

There are no colleges for that. You go to medical school and then do an orthopedic surgery residency.

Answer 4

You need pre-med ---3 years.....medical school.....4 1/2 years.....then orthopedic specialty....3 years. Residency occurs at the end of med school....and again at the final 1 1/2 years of orthopedics. Walter Reed/Johns Hopkins are well known school for orthopedics.....but there are many more in various areas as well.

Answer 5

If you go to summer school each year you might do it in six years otherwise 8 years to iternship, one year internship and then to residency.

Harvard, Yale, USC, UCLA, Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Boston all fine schools,a ll exepensive school.s