How to Become an Orthopedic Surgeon

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Mark MacBayne. I'm the Practice Administrator for hematology/oncology at UCSF Medical Center, and I'm here today to talk about how to become an orthopedic surgeon. An orthopedic surgeon is a physician, who primarily does surgery on the bones, or skeletal system. First, you must go to college. Attending a four year college or university, is the first step in the process of becoming a physician, and typically, one would study a science discipline. However, this is not a requirement. If you choose not to major in a science however, you do need to take all of the science prerequisites for medical school, being a minimum of two years of biological sciences, two years of chemistry, a year of physics, and a year of calculus. Medical school entrance is extremely competitive. In fact, around a third of those who apply, will actually be accepted, on any given year. Because of it's competitive nature, you want to keep a GPA of 3.7 or above, and score well on the MCAT's. Once accepted to medical school, you have gone into an additional four year educational commitment. The first two years of which are typically reserved for didactic instruction, and the health sciences, and the second two years are typically reserved for training in the clinical skills. Upon completion of medical school, you are a Medical Doctor, but not ready to practice. Before you can practice, in this case as an orthopedic surgeon, you must complete your residency. Residency programs vary in length, depending on the specialty. In this case, an orthopedic surgical residency, will be at least six years or more. The first few years of which, you learn to be a surgeon, and the second part of which, you learn to be an orthopedic surgeon. Upon completing your residency in orthopedic surgery, you may choose to do a fellowship, which is an additional year to two, of post graduate training. After you have completed all of your training, you can take the board exam, as an orthopedic surgeon, and upon passing, are a board certified orthopedic surgeon, ready to practice in the community. This is Mark MacBayne, Practice Administrator for Hematology/Oncology, at UCSF Medical Center."