Laura Beth
Orthopedic Surgery Orthopedic Surgery is a common field of medicine that deals with the musculoskeletal system. They use surgery and other methods to help heal injuries that may have come from sports, aging, over usage, trauma and other causes. How to become an orthopedic surgeon? In order to become an orthopedic surgeon, one must have a high school diploma, a college degree and a medical degree. So one must go to three different schools and complete at least 4 years of medical school, 4 years of college and the complete the full 6 years of middle/ high school. In college, one will need to major in pre-medicine or biology which will help prepare them for medical school and their career ahead. This will help prepare one for medical school and give one a expectation of what is to come. Then one must go a hospital to complete the residency program which usually last 4-5 years. In the residency program, one is payed but not very much. It usually averages $40,000 to $50,000 a year. Next, a doctor must go through their fellowship which does not last long. It usually last around a year. It is the last training before one becomes an official orthopedic surgeon. One becomes known as a fellow during this time. A lot of hard training must be gone through before one can become a surgeon because of all the responsibilities that come with this job. There are peoples lives at stake so it is very important that one has enough training so that one know what to do in any circumstance. After you complete all of this, one must find a hospital to work at that has this open position. On average an orthopedic surgeon can be paid 450,000 dollars a year. This what must be done before becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
What does an orthopedic surgeon do? An orthopedic surgeon treats patients with problems in their musculoskeletal system which includes nerves, tendons, bones, muscles, joints and ligaments. First the surgeons will examine you and get a physical report to help them decide what is wrong. Most of the time they will be the ones to diagnose you and decide what the choice of action should be. Orthopedic surgeons can choose lots of different focuses since orthopedic surgery is such a large field. However, some can just focus on orthopedic surgery in general. Orthopedic surgeons must work long hours that can be around 60 hours per week and can include urgent night calls. Since they deal with all 206 bones in the body there is a lot for them to do. Once they finish the surgery or mechanical fix process they must have the research done of what the patient needs to do in the rehabilitation project to go back to having full strength of the limb, tendon, muscle or whatever was hurt. Often times, an orthopedic surgeon will be a consult for other doctors because of their knowledge of the body. Orthopedic surgeons sometimes perform replacements like knee replacements, hip replacements and shoulder replacements. Other common surgeries are ankle replacements, patellar tendonitis surgery, ACL reconstruction, spine surgery, arthroscopic surgery, and rotator cuff repair. Orthopedic surgeons have very busy schedules and have a lot of work and consults that they must do. They are very important in hospitals because of their in depth knowledge of the musculoskeletal system.