What has been most rewarding about your training so far? The most rewarding aspect of training here has been the culture. We not only interact and learn from world-renowned experts in orthopedic surgery who devote their time to making us better, but we also interact with amazing co-residents and staff who also make us better. The culture is one of striving for excellence and prioritizing the needs of the patient, as well as of close friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime.

Medical school: University of Nevada School of Medicine

What attracted you to Mayo Clinic? The faculty and trainees at Mayo Clinic shared an obvious commitment to optimizing medical education and clinical care. From an academic standpoint, it’s easy to grasp how the unique curriculum, broad clinical exposure, and mentorship model with accomplished consultants create a dynamic learning experience. However, what resonated even more were the intangibles - a culture of collegiality, interpersonal support, and humility. Training somewhere with role models that celebrate professional and personal development was important to me, and I am so grateful to see it come to fruition.

Medical school: University of Chicago

What makes Mayo Clinic’s Orthopedic Surgery Residency unique? Orthopedic residency at Mayo is unique in so many ways. Our true mentorship model allows trainees to master the full scope of orthopedic practice - from surgical indication to operative techniques to post-op recovery - all under one-on-one guidance from world experts. To combine elite training, research, and educational resources with a patient-first culture of humility and genuine collaboration is unmatched. The cherry on top for me is access to all the above, while situated in an affordable, wholesome Midwest location, and at a program where raising a family in residency is not only supported but encouraged. Mayo is a mecca for orthopedic training and graduates are optimally positioned to become orthopedic leaders in whichever career path they desire.

Medical school: Perelman School of Medicine

What attracted you to Mayo Clinic, and is there anything that surprised you here? I felt that Mayo Clinic would help me achieve my goal of becoming an excellent orthopedic surgeon through exposure to a wide range of both complex and bread and butter orthopedics and through 1-on-1 mentorship from world-renowned, outstanding faculty. In addition, I was drawn to Mayo Clinic for the unparalleled teaching of surgical skills, clinical knowledge, and leadership skills. I have been surprised by how welcoming and willing to teach both our faculty and co-residents are. I find myself excited to go to work each day, ready to learn and push to be better than before, both on a personal and professional level. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to train here at Mayo Clinic.

Medical school: Carle Illinois College

How has Mayo’s mentorship model impacted your training? Mayo Clinic's mentorship model is among the most important reasons I ranked this program #1. Now, several years into residency, I am even more grateful to have matched here and cannot imagine a better system for learning and mastering orthopedic surgery. Our program is unique in that we have over 50 faculty members, allowing every resident and fellow to be matched one-to-one with a specific surgeon. We then spend several months on service with the same consultant, allowing us to learn from every aspect of their practice. Then we spend several months on service with the same consultant, allowing us to learn from every aspect of their practice. Wherever I end up in practice, I hope to bring part of the mentorship model with me and pay forward everything that Mayo faculty has given me.

Medical school: University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

What attracted you to Mayo Clinic? What I value most about our program is the commitment to education and mentorship. The mentorship model has long defined the Mayo Clinic experience. As an intern, I admittedly did not fully appreciate the depth of this teaching tradition, with only six months of orthopedic exposure, split over one-month blocks. Now, in PGY-2, I have come to truly appreciate the mentorship model that has been a centerpiece of the residency program.

Medical school: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School

How has Mayo’s mentorship model impacted your training? This program gives us a thorough understanding of what our responsibilities will be in orthopedic practice because we are working alongside our consultant and their advanced practice providers in clinic indicating patients for surgery, performing the surgeries, taking care of them in the hospital, and seeing them back in clinic for follow up. This benefits the residents in countless ways, but overall, the extended time spent one-on-one leads to building the level of rapport and trust which allows the resident to improve significantly over the course of the rotation.

Medical school: University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada