Orthopedic Surgeon Career Information
Through surgery an orthopedic surgeon can fix bones, ligaments, tendons, joints and even muscular issues. An orthopedic surgeon also uses non-surgical treatments such as rehabilitation and physical therapy treatments to help cure ailments that have come about due to damage or disease.
- History: An orthopedic surgeon originally treated children that suffered from spinal issues such as scoliosis and limb deformities. Since that time, orthopedic surgery has branched away from just treating children to treating any type of bone or musculoskeletal issue in adults as well children and the elderly.
- Sub-Genres: There are several sub-genres of orthopedic surgery. These are specialties that a doctor can go into for more personalize treatments. Some of these sub-genres of orthopedic surgery include sports medicine, pediatric orthopedics, cancer treatment, or spine and hand surgery.
- Personal Skills: Finger dexterity is a must when becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Working with small, thin bones is a large portion of the job, so being able to nimbly move around those bones while treating the issues is very important. Being able to make critical decisions while under pressure is also a must have skill in this profession. Working with the spine can be very tricky and a wrong move can paralyze a person for life, being potentially responsible for this can make or break your career as an orthopedic surgeon.
- Job Outlook: There is currently over 170 accredited programs that offer residency for over 650 orthopedic programs. There are not many doctors that specialize in this particular line of work; therefore, being able to work long hours and always be on-call is a must for this position. Anyone that has a flexible personal schedule would do well with this type of medicine. An annual salary for an orthopedic surgeon is anywhere between $350,000 and $655,000 a year.