You teach orthopedics to medical students, residents, or fellows — covering musculoskeletal disease, surgical and non-surgical orthopedic care, and the clinical reasoning specific to orthopedic practice. Half academic faculty, half practicing or recently practicing orthopedic surgeon.
Most days tend to involve a blend of classroom teaching, clinical and operating room supervision, and continued clinical practice — leading didactic sessions, supervising residents in clinic and the OR, and continuing your own surgical practice. You'll often spend part of the time on scholarly work that academic orthopedics expects.
The harder part is often balancing the volume of clinical and surgical work with teaching and scholarship in a specialty where procedural volume drives both clinical relevance and program quality. You'll typically work with residents whose readiness develops over years, where supervision is intense and the procedural standards uncompromising.
People who tend to thrive here are technically expert, scholarly, and willing to invest in the long arc of orthopedic training. The trade-off is the salary differential with private orthopedic practice and the cumulative workload. If you find satisfaction in shaping the next generation of orthopedic surgeons, the work can carry meaning that pure clinical practice doesn't.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
You teach orthopedics to medical students, residents, or fellows — covering musculoskeletal disease, surgical and non-surgical orthopedic care, and the clinical reasoning specific to orthopedic practice. Half academic faculty, half practicing or recently practicing orthopedic surgeon.
Median pay for an Orthopedics Teacher is about $106K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $52K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Learning Strategies, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a master's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 17.3% through 2034, with roughly 229,720 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Health Teacher, First Aid Teacher, and Clinical Instructor.
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