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Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
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How to Apply

Our Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Applications and required documents are only accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The program does not accept applications "outside" the match without prior approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Our program offers two training tracks: (1) a five-year clinical track, and (2) a six-year research track, which includes one dedicated year of research during the second year of training. Each track has a separate match process, NRMP program code, and rank list. Each year our program matches four residents to the five-year clinical track and one resident to the six-year research track.

Applicants may apply to one or both tracks through ERAS. Note: Applying to both tracks requires selecting NRMP program codes particular to each track. Clinical and research track applicants will be interviewed during the same weekend in January; there will be no separate research interviews.

Application Dates

  • Deadline: October 1, 2023
  • Interview invitations sent: November 13, 2023, AOA CORD Universal Interview Offer Day
  • Interview dates: Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21, 2024

Application Requirements

Applications for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program are accepted electronically through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Please indicate if you would like to apply to the Clinical training track and/or the Research training track.  More information about each program may be found at the highlighted links.

Required documents. The following documents are required for all applications:

  • Common Application Form (CAF)
  • Curriculum Vitae (Generated by the program from the CAF)
  • Personal statement
  • Medical school transcript(s)
  • MSPE/Dean's Letter 
  • At least 3 letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts from the NBME indicating your USMLE Step 1 results (Step 2 results are not required, but should be shared if available)

International Applications. In addition to the above, students and graduates of international medical schools must provide the following:

  • Verification of ECFMG certification (provided through ERAS)
  • Verification of United States residency status (permanent resident, naturalized citizen, etc.)

Supplemental ERAS Application

There will no longer be a supplemental ERAS application provided by the AAMC for the 2023-24 cycle. For two ERAS application cycles, the AAMC enhanced, researched, and refined new MyERAS content via a supplemental ERAS application. Moving forward, applicants and advisors can expect the content of the MyERAS application to reflect these findings. 

COVID-19 Mandate:

UC San Diego and San Diego County Health policies mandate that all healthcare workers be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations or have an exemption for medical or religious reasons (subject to review and approval).  In addition, UCSD's major affiliates have similar expectations.  Those health care workers who are out of compliance may not participate in direct patient care. 

Salary & Benefits

Information on residency salary and benefits can be found at the UC San Diego Graduate Medical Education website: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/education/gme/house-officer/Pages/default.aspx 

Contact Information

For additional information about the residency program, contact us:

Phone: 619-543-7247
Email: orthores@health.ucsd.edu

UC San Diego Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Attn: Residency Program
350 Dickinson Street, Suite 121, Mail Code 8894
San Diego, CA 92103-8894