Overview of the Military Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Application and Selection Process

ABSTRACT The military offers eight Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited orthopaedic surgery programs with 33 total positions. The Army has 19 orthopedic surgery residency positions and averaged 1.47 applicants per position from 2007 to 2011. Applicants most commonly become eligible for military orthopaedic surgery residency through attendance of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or participation in the Health Professions Scholarship Program. The Military Operational Data System begins registration on July 1st of the preceding year and is used to match all applicants. The ranking and selection of applicants from medical school is based 50% upon objective criteria regarding the applicant's medical school performance and 50% on the applicant's potential for successful practice as an orthopaedic surgeon. Medical school performance data examined include medical school transcript, Dean's letter, and United States Medical Licensing Examination steps I and II/Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United Sates I and II scores. Determination of an applicant's potential is based upon letters of recommendation, personal interviews, and most importantly the applicant's performance on military orthopaedic surgery clinical clerkships. Applicants who have completed an internship are similarly scored with points awarded for internship and operational tour performance. INTRODUCTION For some candidates, the U.S. military offers an attractive opportunity for orthopaedic surgical residency training. Currently, the Army, Navy, and Air Force offer eight Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited orthopaedic surgery programs, of which two are combined orthopaedic surgery residency programs between the services, providing a total of 33 (19 Army, 11 Navy, and 3 Air Force) positions. All military orthopaedic surgery residency programs are listed in Table I, along with pertinent contact information. Military orthopaedic surgery residency programs have a long and storied tradition of producing excellent graduates. Army orthopaedic surgery residency graduates have distinguished themselves with American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) passage rates of 94.6% from 2007 to 2011 on the part I examination and of 100% on the part II examination,1 which exceed the national averages over the same period of time of 84.3% and 88.7%, respectively.2 Military Graduate Medical Education (GME) offers these positions through a competitive matching process, similar to the civilian program selection process. In addition to the 33 military orthopaedic surgery positions, a select number of candidates each year are offered opportunities to pursue a “civilian sponsored” residency position. Most commonly offered by the Air Force and Navy, these positions allow candidates to seek residency training via the civilian match process. If selected for residency and approved by their respective branch of service, a resident is commissioned and paid as an active duty officer during his/her civilian residency training, incurring 1 year of active duty service obligation (ADSO) per year of residency training. The competition for an Army orthopaedic surgery residency position has been intense, with an average of 1.47 medical school applicants per orthopaedic surgery position during the years 2007 through 2011. (Graduate Medical Education Review 2012, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, 2012, a presentation by COL Cathy Nace, MD, Director of Army Graduate Medical Education.) TABLE I. Eight Military Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs Program Positions (Per Year) Contact Information Army Eisenhower Army Medical Center 2 Eisenhower Army Medical Center ATTN: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 300 Hospital Road Fort Gordon, GA 30905-5650 Phone: (706) 787-6158/6159 http://www.ddeamc.amedd.army.mil/GME/InterResPrograms/OrthopaedicSurgeryResidency.aspx Madigan Army Medical Center 3 Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Service, Madigan Healthcare System ATTN: MCHJ-CLS-O Tacoma, WA 98431 Phone: (253) 968-3121 or DSN 782-3121 http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/gme/Residencies_Fellowships/G_ORTHO.HTM Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (National Capital Consortium) 3 Building 1, 19th Floor, Room 19107 Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 8901 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20889-5600 Phone: (301) 295-8588 http://www.wrnmmc.capmed.mil/ResearchEducation/GME/SitePages/Orthopaedics/Home.aspx San Antonio Military Medical Center 4 SAUSHEC Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Medical Education Department Brooke Army Medical Center 3551 Roger Brooke Drive Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200 Phone: (210) 916-3384 http://www.bamc.amedd.army.mil/saushec/gme/residency/orthopaedic-surgery/ Tripler Army Medical Center 3 Resident Assistant Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Tripler Army Medical Center, HI 96859-5000 Phone: (808) 433-3557 http://www.tamc.amedd.army.mil/residency/mchk-ds/ortho.htm William Beaumont Army Medical Center 4 William Beaumont Army Medical Center ATTN: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 5005 North Piedras Street El Paso, TX 79920 Phone: (915) 742-2288 http://www.wbamc.amedd.army.mil/GME/OrthopedicSurgery/Residency/ Navy Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (National Capital Consortium) 3 Building 1, 19th Floor, Room 19107 Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 8901 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20889-5600 Phone: (301) 295-8588 http://www.wrnmmc.capmed.mil/ResearchEducation/GME/SitePages/Orthopaedics/Home.aspx Portsmouth Naval Medical Center 3 Portsmouth Naval Medical Center Portsmouth NMCP ATTN: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 620 John Paul Jones Circle Portsmouth, VA 23708 Phone: (757) 953-1814 http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/NMCP2/EduTrain/GMED/Residencies/Pages/Default.aspx San Diego Naval Medical Center 5 San Diego Naval Medical Center ATTN: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, Suite 112 San Diego, CA 92134 Phone: (619) 744-5332 http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsd/Staff/Pages/GME-Residencies.aspx Air Force San Antonio Military Medical Center 3 SAUSHEC Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Medical Education Department Brooke Army Medical Center 3551 Roger Brooke Drive Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200 Phone: (210) 916-3384 http://www.bamc.amedd.army.mil/saushec/gme/residency/orthopaedic-surgery/ Total 33   Program Positions (Per Year) Contact Information Army Eisenhower Army Medical Center 2 Eisenhower Army Medical Center ATTN: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 300 Hospital Road Fort Gordon, GA 30905-5650 Phone: (706) 787-6158/6159 http://www.ddeamc.amedd.army.mil/GME/InterResPrograms/OrthopaedicSurgeryResidency.aspx Madigan Army Medical Center 3 Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Service, Madigan Healthcare System ATTN: MCHJ-CLS-O Tacoma, WA 98431 Phone: (253) 968-3121 or DSN 782-3121 http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/gme/Residencies_Fellowships/G_ORTHO.HTM Walter Reed National Militar (...truncated)