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Hospitals and Health Systems
Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, HCA Healthcare
Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
Orthopedic surgeons diagnose and operate on injuries and diseases affecting bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, often helping patients regain movement after serious pain or trauma. The tradeoff is stark: the pay is very high, but the work requires years of training, constant precision, and a job that is almost always in person and sometimes on call.
Also known as Orthopedic SurgeonOrthopaedic SurgeonBone and Joint SurgeonOrthopedic PhysicianOrthopedic Surgery Specialist
Median Salary
$0
Mean $365,060
U.S. Workforce
~14K
0.4K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+4.1%
14.7K to 15.3K
Entry Education
Doctoral or professional degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~14K workers, with a median annual pay of $0 and roughly 0.4K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 14.7 K in 2024 to 15.3K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Doctor of Medicine (MD) + Orthopedic Surgery Residency, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Orthopedic Surgery Resident and can progress toward Department Chair / Practice Partner. High-value skills usually include Orthopedic Surgery & Operative Technique, Musculoskeletal Diagnosis & Treatment Planning, and Joint Replacement & Fracture Fixation, paired with soft skills such as Decision-making, Leadership, and Clear communication.
Core Responsibilities
- Review a patient’s history, allergies, exam findings, and scans to decide whether surgery is the right option and which procedure makes the most sense.
- See patients in the clinic or hospital, explain treatment choices, and diagnose bone, joint, and muscle problems that may need medicine, therapy, or surgery.
- Perform operations to repair or replace damaged bones, joints, and surrounding tissue, following the surgical plan step by step.
- Check surgical tools, implants, and the operating room setup before a case to make sure everything is sterile and ready to use.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Review a patient’s history, allergies, exam findings, and scans to decide whether surgery is the right option and which procedure makes the most sense.
02 See patients in the clinic or hospital, explain treatment choices, and diagnose bone, joint, and muscle problems that may need medicine, therapy, or surgery.
03 Perform operations to repair or replace damaged bones, joints, and surrounding tissue, following the surgical plan step by step.
04 Check surgical tools, implants, and the operating room setup before a case to make sure everything is sterile and ready to use.
05 Lead the surgical team by directing nurses, assistants, residents, and specialists during the procedure and immediate recovery period.
06 Study outcomes and help evaluate new surgical methods that could improve recovery, reduce complications, or make procedures more effective.
Industries That Hire
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Orthopedic Specialty Groups
Hospital for Special Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedics, OrthoCarolina
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Academic Medical Centers
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mass General Brigham, Stanford Health Care
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Ambulatory Surgery Centers
SCA Health, Surgery Partners, United Surgical Partners International
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is very high, with a mean annual salary of $365,060, far above most clinical jobs.
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Demand is steady rather than speculative: employment is projected to rise from 14.16K jobs to 15.3K by 2034.
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There are still openings every year, with about 400 annual openings that reflect retirements and turnover, not just growth.
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The work has visible results, since fixing a broken joint or replacing a worn-out one can quickly improve mobility and pain.
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The job includes real authority and variety: surgeons evaluate patients, run the operating room, and sometimes help improve techniques through research.
Challenges
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The training pipeline is very long: you need a doctoral or professional degree plus an internship or residency before you can practice independently.
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Remote work is rare because the job depends on hands-on exams, surgery, and in-person follow-up.
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Growth is only 4.1% over ten years, so the market is not expanding fast compared with the amount of training required.
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The work carries high stakes and high liability, because a surgical mistake can permanently affect pain, movement, or quality of life.
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Advancement is fairly flat once you are an attending; the next steps are usually partner, chief, or chair rather than a large corporate ladder, and income can depend heavily on procedure volume, referral flow, and insurer mix.
Career Progression
Orthopedic Surgery Resident
0-5 years
$60K-$80K
This stage is mostly supervised training, with long hours, hospital call, and lots of time assisting on cases and learning operative judgment.
Attending Orthopedic Surgeon
5-12 years
$300K-$425K
At this level, the surgeon evaluates patients independently, performs routine and complex operations, and carries full responsibility for outcomes; this band includes the occupation’s salary level.
Senior Orthopedic Surgeon THIS ROLE
12-20 years
$425K-$550K
Experienced surgeons take on harder cases, mentor residents, and often build a stronger referral base or a more specialized practice.
Department Chair / Practice Partner
20+ years
$550K-$750K
The work shifts toward leadership, oversight, recruiting, and practice strategy while still keeping a role in the operating room for selected cases.
Education Paths
Doctor of Medicine (MD) + Orthopedic Surgery Residency
The standard route is medical school followed by a long orthopedic surgery residency.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) + Orthopedic Surgery Residency
A DO degree can lead to the same residency pathway and the same kind of hospital and operating room work.
MD or DO + Orthopedic Fellowship
Some surgeons add a fellowship in adult reconstruction, trauma, sports medicine, or another subspecialty after residency to narrow their practice.
Key Skills
Technical
Orthopedic Surgery & Operative Technique 98%
Musculoskeletal Diagnosis & Treatment Planning 95%
Joint Replacement & Fracture Fixation 93%
Preoperative Assessment & Surgical Risk Review 91%
Imaging Review: X-ray, MRI & CT 89%
Sterile Technique, OR Safety & Instrument Handling 88%
Clinical Research & Outcomes Analysis 82%
Soft Skills
Decision-makingLeadershipClear communicationAttention to detailCalm under pressurePatient empathy Job Outlook and Trends
+4.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
0.4K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 14.7K to 15.3 K over the next decade, representing 4.1% growth. Around 0.4 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.