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FAQs for Medical Students and Residency Candidates
Select a question to jump to the answer.
About UMMC and our Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program
- What are the major pros of your program?
- What are the major cons of your program?
- Does your program consider itself to be an academic or community-based program?
- Is your program an active Level 1 trauma center?
- Does your program cover all eight subspecialties with fellowship-trained subspecialists?
- How do you see the program changing in size or structure over the next five years?
- What is the status of the program’s accreditation?
- Are there any upcoming changes to your program you wish to highlight to potential applicants?
- Does your hospital have an orthopaedic wing or floor in the hospital?
- Is the program associated with a children’s hospital?
- Does your program have a stand-alone orthopaedic hospital?
- What are the outpatient ortho facilities like?
- Is your program directly affiliated with rehabilitation facilities?
- Do you participate in VSLO (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities)?
- When do you normally post your schedule to VSLO?
- When do you start accepting applications through VSLO?
- When do you normally let students know if they will be rotating as an away student?
- Is housing provided for away students?
- What do you look for in a candidate?
- How many people do you rank?
- When do you typically interview?
- How many residents do you accept into each class?
- Have students had success in the past matching through the couples match into your program?
- What is the call schedule like?
- How are the call rooms?
- Do you sleep while on call?
- How available are the attendings (including nights and weekends)?
- How do you feel the relationship is between the staff and the residents?
- How do the residents get along? Do you hang out outside of work?
- What is the structure of the didactic curriculum?
- How many months of trauma do students take each year?
- Total number of Ortho operative experiences each year?
- Is there time allotted for electives?
- How much elective time is there and how is it usually used?
- How are the residents evaluated?
- How do the residents perform on OITE? Boards?
- Is there time and funding for conferences and meetings?
- What are the research opportunities like? How is it funded?
- Is a thesis or publication required during training?
- Where do the graduating residents go? What sub-specialties?
- What percentage of your graduates continue on to fellowships?
- What fellowships in orthopaedics are associated with your program?
- How many weeks of vacation do residents typically get each year?
- How are the benefits? Parking?
- What happens if someone is sick? Do you have sick days?
- Do you offer health, life, disability insurance?
- What is your meal plan?
- Do you have maternity/parental leave?
About UMMC and our Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program
What are the major pros of your program?
Comfortable learning environment, high volume experience, and early graduated autonomy.
What are the major cons of your program?
Limited congenital hand exposure.
Does your program consider itself to be an academic or community-based program?
As the University of Mississippi Medical Center is our state’s only teaching hospital, we consider ourselves to be an academic-based program.
Is your program an active Level 1 trauma center?
We are the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the state.
Does your program cover all eight subspecialties with fellowship-trained subspecialists?
We cover all eight subspecialties at UMMC. Many of the elective subspecialties are covered in an additive fashion via private practice rotations.
How do you see the program changing in size or structure over the next five years?
Slight growth is expected in the size of the residency program and in faculty. We continue to grow to our full complement of five residents per academic year.
What is the status of the program’s accreditation?
The program is fully accredited.
Are there any upcoming changes to your program you wish to highlight to potential applicants?
Increased simulation activity and growth in research offerings. The research team has expanded and provides more support.
Does your hospital have an orthopaedic wing or floor in the hospital?
Our orthopaedic wing in the hospital is 5-North.
Is the program associated with a children’s hospital?
We are associated with Sanderson Children’s Hospital, which is connected via indoor walkways to the Adult Hospital.
Does your program have a stand-alone orthopaedic hospital?
Not at this time. We have a new multispecialty Medical Office Building/Ambulatory Surgery Facility opening in Summer 2026.
What are the outpatient ortho facilities like?
We have clinics located at Colony Park South, Colony Park North, Sanderson Children's Hospital and UMMC Madison, as well as outpatient clinics and surgery centers across the state.
Is your program directly affiliated with rehabilitation facilities?
Yes, we have rehabilitation facilities within UMMC, Colony Park South and are also physically connected to the Methodist Rehabilitation Center.
Rotations
Do you participate in VSLO (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities)?
When do you normally post your schedule to VSLO?
Dates are typically posted in VSLO during the month of March. Posting date depends upon UMMC SOM.
When do you start accepting applications through VSLO?
We currently accept applications in April, yet we are working to move this date to March. We follow the guidelines of our SOM and Institution.
When do you normally let students know if they will be rotating as an away student?
We notify students between the end of May and June 1.
Is housing provided for away students?
No, but we provide information on hotels near campus.
Interview Process
What do you look for in a candidate?
Everything. We have a comprehensive approach to reviewing the full residency / fellowship candidate application.
How many people do you rank?
When do you typically interview?
We typically have two interview dates in January.
How many residents do you accept into each class?
We are currently accepting 5 residents per class.
Have students had success in the past matching through the couples match into your program?
Yes – we have several couples' matches in our program.
Residency
What is the call schedule like?
- Night float system as PGY 2 – Sunday Night through Friday Morning.
- PGY 3 – First call on Friday nights and provide backup call during the week.
- PGY 2 (Off Trauma Service) – First call Saturday nights
- PGY 4-5 – Provide Chief call during the week.
How are the call rooms?
Large rooms, w/ TV, computer, and full-size bathrooms. Ortho has two dedicated call rooms on 6E of the hospital (a floor designed by our GME office for call).
Do you sleep while on call?
Strategic napping is encouraged as noted by ACGME.
How available are the attendings (including nights and weekends)?
Always available. As intern and junior, most things are run by mid-level to upper-level residents before staff are involved.
How do you feel the relationship is between the staff and the residents?
Faculty are approachable and available. The relationship is good.
How do the residents get along? Do you hang out outside of work?
Close interaction between residents. When time presents itself outside of work, we often spend it with each other.
What is the structure of the didactic curriculum?
We have a structured two-year rolling curriculum. Tuesday – Thursday didactics meeting the required four hours a week. Tuesday 6:00 – 7:00 AM / Wednesday 6:00 – 8:00 AM / Thursday 6:00 – 7:00 AM. Some services have individual lectures/conferences throughout the week. Journal Clubs and specialty events are scheduled monthly.
How many months of trauma do students take each year?
Visiting students are assigned one to two weeks with our trauma team during the four-week rotation.
Total number of Ortho operative experiences each year?
As the only Academic Medical Center, the only Level 1 Trauma Center and the only Pediatric Hospital in the State, our residents are given the opportunity to participate in a high volume of operative cases. Our program typically sits at the 90-99% for Total Procedures when looking at the national average among graduate reporting. Program average is 3,621 cases for AY 2025 Graduates.
Is there time allotted for electives?
How much elective time is there and how is it usually used?
Elective time is scheduled for 11 Weeks to 3 Months during the PGY 4 year. Residents are able to complete elective rotations in town or through AO International. Rotations are approval-based and education agreements are drafted.
How are the residents evaluated?
Using a comprehensive grading system that the ACGME integrated into all programs. It consists of several established Core Competencies- Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Systems-Based Practice, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, Professionalism, and Interpersonal & Communication Skills. Our program uses MedHub and ABOS KSB for assessments.
How do the residents perform on OITE? Boards?
Our aim is for the OITE program average to be at or above the 70th percentile. Our ABOS board pass rate has been 100% for the past five years.
Is there time and funding for conferences and meetings?
Time is set aside for conferences and the department provides funding. Grants are also used for additional academic conferences/meetings/presentations.
Research
What are the research opportunities like? How is it funded?
Most of our funding comes from our participation in the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC). METRC is a group of 25 core sites across the US, with UMMC being in the top 8 producers of trauma volume. Additional funding is through resident grants via specialty societies and organizations. All residents are required to see a study through from design to completion by the end of residency.
Is a thesis or publication required during training?
One publishable project is required.
After Residency
Where do the graduating residents go? What sub-specialties?
The majority seek fellowships and are accepted across the country. We have had residents matriculate into fellowships in all of the subspecialties over the last 20 years.
What percentage of your graduates continue on to fellowships?
What fellowships in orthopaedics are associated with your program?
Hand/Upper Extremity and Trauma
Benefits
How many weeks of vacation do residents typically get each year?
How are the benefits? Parking?
Residents are provided parking in Garage D and at Colony Park South. Benefits are strong and in line with other programs. You may visit the UMMC GME Website for more detail.
What happens if someone is sick? Do you have sick days?
Residents are able to call in sick. Coverage must be arranged. As listed in UMMC policy, the first day of leave is listed as personal. Remaining days may be logged as medical. If an individual is out more than three medical days, a doctor’s excuse may be required.
Do you offer health, life, disability insurance?
Residents are provided health insurance and their families may sign up for coverage. Additional plans are offered at UMMC.
What is your meal plan?
Residents are allotted meal tickets according to the call schedule each month. Residents are given two meal tickets each time they are listed for weekday call and three meal tickets for weekend call on the call schedule. Meal tickets are available for residents who are called in or need to extend duty coverage for patient care. Our institution and GME office provide policy related to meal ticket use.
Do you have maternity/parental leave?
Residents do accumulate medical leave. Each medical leave request is assessed for department approval. Extended leave may impact a resident’s year in training, but this would be reviewed with the department, HR, GME, and ABOS.We follow state and federal guidelines when establishing leave.