Becoming an orthopedist, or an orthopedic surgeon, is a rigorous procedure that takes in all around 14 years of hard study. This includes beginning with four years of undergraduate study that should include two years of chemistry, a year of biology, and a year of physics - courses typically offered as part of a B.S. (Bachelor of Science) program at practically any accredited college or university.

Having completed this, a future orthopedist must then take an admission test for a Medical College, which takes about one day. Passing this test requires sufficient knowledge in the areas of biology and physics, and includes both written and verbal sections. Following that, the student must apply for admission to a Medical College. Because of their highly competitive nature - many schools only admit 5 to 10 percent of applicants - the admissions process generally has a preliminary round and a secondary round, followed by an interview of the candidate.

Medical School itself requires four years of study - the first two of these in the classroom, and the last two in-hospital training. During this time, he or she takes National Board Examinations - one upon completing the second year, and one upon completion of the third year; each examination involves an entire day of rigorous testing of medical knowledge. Upon graduation, the student receives his or her MD degree, or better still, a D.O. degree specifically in Osteopathic medicine. Then the following fall, the would-be orthopedist submits his or her application for Orthopedics Residency.

Successful applications result in an interview of the candidate being scheduled that winter. All medical students learn the results of their applications for residency on the same big day, called Match Day. Residency begins with a preliminary year of internship, starting on July 1, at a determined hospital, focusing on general surgery. After this year, a further four years of residency are required, during which time the doctor will throughly learn all the basics of orthopedic procedures in an apprentice role. He or she will benefit from spending a bit of time in several of the various subspecialties of the field, eg hip, knee, shoulder, etc., rather than concentrating exclusively in one targeted area. Finally, an optional year of fellowship in a particular subspecialty allows the orthopedist to focus on his desired area of treatment, eg., sports injuries, pediatric orthopedics, etc.

Only around ten percent of orthopedic residents are women, and about twenty percent of the total are members of minority groups. About 700 doctors per year in the United States complete the required five years of orthopedic residency training; they are reckoned to number around only 3 to 4 percent of all practicing physicians. Once residency is completed, the surgeon is enabled to seek Board certification, which requires another written and oral test and attention to the candidates performance record while in residency; in the United States, certification is provided by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. The total number of orthopedic surgeons in the US at present is thought to be around 20,400 - not many for a population of over 300 million!