Sage Advice for Residency, Fellowship, and Beyond

The path to becoming a successful orthopaedic surgeon is long and arduous. It takes dedication, motivation, perseverance, hard work, grit, self-drive, and most importantly, a passion for the field. The training takes 4 years of undergraduate studies, 4 years of medical school education, 5 or 6 years (academic track with a research year) of residency, and another year of specialized training in fellowship. There will be times during training that the trainee will fail and want to give up. There will be both good times and bad times during this long journey, and the trainee will need the support of family, friends, mentors, and colleagues to navigate this path. After 14 or more grueling years of education, residency, and fellowship, the trainee can finally start their career path as an attending orthopaedic surgeon. It is important for faculty and mentors to provide trainees with career and life advice to help them achieve a successful career.