"As many as half of all orthopaedic surgery trainees switch jobs within a few years of starting practice."
It is unclear why orthopaedic trainees are being poorly educated regarding job selection. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be addressed during orthopaedic training, at least in theory. During the final years of residency training and fellowship, mentors with significant work and hiring experience can provide job evaluation and financial didactics to trainees. Future planning with a focus on career paths can be provided even earlier in residency. Recent graduates of orthopaedic training programs may be invited back to discuss the job-selection process, their current jobs, and work-life balance. This may be particularly helpful for trainees interested in nonacademic jobs, as academic training centers naturally have less exposure to such opportunities. Understandably, squeezing in more didactic time can be difficult with greater restrictions on work hours; however, at a minimum, the authors suggest an open environment that promotes discussion of job aspects that are traditionally considered taboo during training.
Mentors and Prior Clinical Experiences Most Important Factors
Current orthopaedic residency and fellowship training fails to prepare future surgeons for the realities of practice, including critical differences between practice settings that may predict happiness and success. The current study highlights that more open business discussions in training, additional focus on job selection, and a better understanding of the healthcare system are all possible areas of improvement. Although resident career paths are influenced by a number of factors, including personal interests, salary potential, debt, and call responsibilities, studies have shown that the most important factors are mentors and prior clinical experiences. This emphasizes the need for additional training and mentorship during residency focused on job selection, in an effort to decrease the personal and societal costs of post-training job attrition. The ultimate goal is to help trainees select jobs that meet their personal and professional needs, allowing them to build successful practices and focus on caring for their patients.
Portions of this article were originally published as: Laratta JL, Gum JL, Shillingford JN, et al: Job selection after orthopedic surgery training: why are our trainees failing to select the right job? Cureus 2019;11:e5539.
John Buza, MD, is a spine fellow at Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Ky.
Jeffrey L. Gum, MD, FAAOS, is an adult and pediatric spine surgeon at Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Ky.
Joseph L. Laratta, MD, is an adult and pediatric spine surgeon at Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Ky.
Leah Y. Carreon, MD, MSc, is the clinical research director at Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Ky.
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