How Are Orthopaedic Surgeons Trained?
Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons are medical doctors. To become a medical doctor, or MD, they go to medical school for four additional years after attending college. In medical school they receive general training about all aspects of medicine, both surgical and non-surgical specialties.
At the end of this training, the MD must complete a "residency". A residency in orthopaedics takes a minimum of five years to complete. In the first year, the surgical resident learns general surgical skills. In years two through five, the orthopaedic resident perfects his or her orthopaedic surgical skills under the guidance of the professors of orthopaedic surgery.
What is a Fellowship-Trained
Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon?
Aproximately 30 orthopaedic graduates each year choose to specialize in foot and ankle surgery. This requires an additional sixth year of "fellowship” training. During the fellowship, the orthopaedic surgeon works with other foot and ankle experts. This allows the orthopaedic surgeon to become even more experienced in general and complex foot and ankle procedures such as ankle joint replacement. In summary, your orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon has received 10 years of medical and surgical training beyond college.
Why choose an Orthopaedic Board-Certified Surgeon?
To become "board certified" after a residency program, an orthopaedic surgeon must first pass a written and oral examination. During the oral examination, the surgeon is questioned by a group of board-certified orthopaedic surgeons about the results of the surgical procedures he has performed to date. Only ~85% of the surgeons who take this exam become board-certified. In addition, to maintain "board certification," the surgeon has to take another test every ten years, and attend a minimum number of hours of continuing education.
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