Orthopaedic Residency Program

Surgeon-in-Chief
Thomas P. Sculco, MD

Background
Since 1887, the orthopaedic residency program at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has prospered, setting the standard for orthopaedic resident training all over the country. In 1972, as the Department of Orthopaedics at HSS was reorganized into numerous subspecialty services, the orthopaedic residency program began to assume a distinctly modern character. Just one year in duration at its inception nearly a century ago, the residency program was now four years in length. It grew in scope, as well as in sheer numbers, offering 32 postgraduate positions. The number of one-year fellowship appointments expanded as well. Recently, the residency program at Hospital for Special Surgery was expanded to five years, to include one year in general surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. For this uniquely challenging five-year period, Hospital for Special Surgery residents are immersed in all aspects of musculoskeletal disease. Not only do the residents become adept at every type of orthopaedic procedure; they also master the patient relations skills that are at the heart of the practice of humanistic medicine.

Upon completion of the residency program, Hospital for Special Surgery graduates are prepared to take their talents and expertise to top academic medical centers and hospitals all over the country. The five-year residency program in orthopaedic surgery includes a PGY-1 year in general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The HSS residency is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). There are 41 residents in the orthopaedic program.

About Hospital for Special Surgery
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is an elective surgery hospital with 172 beds located on the Upper East Side of New York City. Hospital for Special Surgery is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and serves as the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Division of Rheumatology for both institutions. In 2009, there were approximately 265,273 outpatient visits and 24,147 orthopaedic operations at HSS. The Hospital's large Outpatient Department includes more than 20 specialty clinics weekly, focusing on children, cerebral palsy, sports medicine, trauma, arthritis, and scoliosis, as well as on treating problems of the hip, foot, hand, spine and knee.

Affiliations
In addition to appointments at HSS, the residents rotate through orthopaedic services at affiliated hospitals. These include NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which offers a Fracture Service with an active Emergency Room, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, which maintains an active Bone Tumor Service. They also spend time at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in the Orthopaedic Trauma Service, as well as the Orthopaedic Service at the Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital. All of these ancillary orthopaedic services are affiliated with and are under the direction of the Hospital for Special Surgery Orthopaedic Program.

The Heart of the Orthopaedic Residency Program: Didactic, Research and Surgical Education.
Once accepted to the program, residents are immersed in clinical and research activities. Educational conferences are held Monday through Friday at 7:30am, with additional meetings and conferences scheduled throughout the week. Similar conferences are held at affiliated hospitals. The orthopaedic resident is required to participate in basic or clinical research and is expected to present a paper in the last year of his/her residency. This program offers a unique opportunity to the orthopaedic resident to learn and develop his/her skills in a broad field of musculoskeletal research. The Hospital's full-time research staff includes experts in anatomy, biomechanics, biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, pathology, veterinary surgery, and scintimetry. Hospital for Special Surgery maintains an entire facility-the Caspary Research Building that houses seven floors of offices and laboratories dedicated to investigational studies in musculoskeletal diseases. The Orthopaedic Residency Program offers residents the opportunity to gain a well-rounded surgical education and master the fundamentals of orthopaedic surgery. Following their training, many residents continue their education by taking a fellowship position.

The Application Process

Match, Electronic Application, and Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools.
Hospital for Special Surgery participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Each year, HSS matches eight first-year residents (PGY-1s). The Hospital does not accept residents outside the "match" without prior approval from the ACGME. Hospital for Special Surgery will not send or accept applications through the mail. All applications are handled through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). ERAS begins transmitting application materials to participating residency programs on August 15th (date may vary depending on the year). Please contact the Dean's Office of your medical school for more information about applying to the HSS program via ERAS. Graduates of medical schools outside the United States should contact the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for information on how to apply to the HSS residency program via ERAS. Similarly, graduates of Canadian medical schools should contact the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) for information on how to apply to the HSS program electronically.

Application Requirements
HSS application requirements include:

• Photograph
• Personal statement
• Dean's letter
• Medical school transcript
• 3 letters of recommendation
• United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step I score

Hospital for Surgery does not require information beyond what can be transmitted through ERAS.

Application Deadline
The deadline for submitting application material to Hospital for Special Surgery is November 1st.

Selection of Residents
Once all applications have been received, the Selection Committee will review your file. If a personal interview is desired, you will be notified by mail. Letters will be sent in December. The selection of residents from the pool of eligible applicants will be made on the basis of preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communications skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. HSS does not have a minimum USMLE or other minimum score requirement.

Interviews
Interviews are held in mid-January.

Housing
As a resident, it is mandatory that you live in Hospital housing, which the Hospital will provide to you. You may also apply for garage space. Housing and garage facilities for residents and their families are within walking distance of the hospital.

Salaries and Benefits
Salaries and fringe benefits are based on the cost of living in New York City and are competitive with those of other institutions.

Licensure/Immigration Requirements
Residents are required to have taken Step III of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) and to have submitted an application for a New York State License or Limited Permit* by the time they begin the second year of their residency (PGY-2). Information and an application for the New York State License can be found at the New York State Education Department Web Site.

All residents must maintain appropriate immigration status at all times. Non-U.S. citizens should contact the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates for information on applying for J-1 visa sponsorship.

*Non-U.S. citizens ONLY may work with a Limited Permit to practice medicine in New York State. Information and an application for a Limited Permit can be found at the New York State Education Department Web Site.

Contact Information

For more information about the Orthopaedic Residency Program at Hospital for Special Surgery, please contact:

Academic Training
Hospital for Special Surgery
535 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021

Tel: 212.606.1466
Fax: 212.606.1477

Email: AcademicTraining@hss.edu