For students matching into orthopedic surgery, Match Day is both an achievement and an invitation. I matched 36 years ago. I still remember the anxiety of not knowing where on my list I would match. Orthopedic surgery was exclusive then. It still is. Recent analyses show that orthopedic surgery offered 916 residency positions across 218 programs in 2024, with a 74.3 percent match rate for U.S. allopathic seniors. That is worth appreciating for a moment before everything else begins. But Match Day is not the whole story. It is one chapter, not the entire book. What you have really earned is the opportunity to become an orthopedic surgeon. And that journey is bigger than where you matched, what number program you landed at, or whether it was exactly where you pictured yourself going.

The field you are walking into

This class is entering orthopedics at a real inflection point. A second-year resident today has access to knowledge that would have taken a chief resident four years to accumulate. AI is shifting cognitive load in the OR, freeing surgeons to think more and memorize less. Robotic and assistive technologies are changing what execution looks like. Most training programs are not fully built for that reality yet, which means your generation will need to seek out exposure beyond your home program.

Learning beyond the home program

One of the most encouraging realities in orthopedics today is that there are more ways than ever to learn. Residency remains the bedrock of training. It should be. That is where you will build your foundation, your discipline, your habits, your judgment, and your technical skills. But no one program is going to show you everything. That is not a criticism of residency. It is just the reality of a field that keeps expanding and innovating. One program may give you deep exposure in shoulder. Another may be especially strong in arthroplasty, trauma, sports, or hand. Some programs are going to expose you to certain technologies, workflows, or procedural approaches. Others may not. That does not make one program better than another. It simply reflects how broad orthopedics has become.

The good news is that the field now offers more opportunities to keep growing beyond your home institution. There are skills labs, focused procedural courses, peer-to-peer engagement, specialty meetings, and cadaver labs, which can all build on what you are getting in your own program. The field has more to offer than ever before, and it has responded by offering training across a number of environments.

A better time to be curious

Orthopedics is changing. We have better access to data. We have enabling technologies that can support planning, execution, and consistency. We have more ways to prepare for cases and more ways to learn from each other than we did even a few years ago. That opens the field to more people, more ideas, and more ways of thinking. It also gives young surgeons the chance to build confidence earlier and more deliberately. You do not have to know everything on day one. Nobody does. But you should want exposure to different approaches, to understand what is out there, even if it differs from what your home program uses every day. That is part of becoming a complete surgeon.

The value of mentorship

I would also tell every new resident to find mentors. Find the people who will teach you, certainly, but also find the people who help you grow. Sometimes that is a person who shows you how to do a case. Sometimes it is the person who shows you how to handle a patient or caregiver conversation, how to deal with stress, how to adapt, or how to work well with a team. And if you know there is an area where you need to grow, find somebody who is good at it. That mentor may be the technically gifted surgeon everyone wants to emulate. But it may also be the surgeon who listens well, leads calmly, and has learned how to be both demanding and kind. Those are the people worth watching.

Patients expect more, and that is a good thing

Patients are different now too. They arrive in clinic informed. Many have already researched their condition, potential treatments, and possible outcomes. That is not something to resist. It is part of modern medicine. It means you have to listen. It means you have to be ready not only to know your craft, but to explain it. To answer questions. To help patients feel confident not just in you, but in the process of care. That takes knowledge, yet it also takes judgment and communication. It is not enough to be smart or technically strong. Surgeons who excel moving forward must be resilient, flexible, and affable. They must be able to keep learning, keep adapting, and keep working well with people.

The opportunity ahead

For new residents, that should be energizing. Match Day is not simply the start of a residency. It is the start of a career in a field that offers more ways than ever to keep growing, clinically, technically, and professionally. So as you celebrate Match Day, take a moment to appreciate what you are stepping into. You are joining a field that needs your talent, your perspective, and your willingness to shape what comes next. You will not just witness the transformation of orthopedics. You will lead it. And I look forward to seeing the impact you will make.

John E. Klibanoff is an orthopaedic surgeon based in Rochester, New York, and vice president of global surgeon relations and medical education at Zimmer Biomet. In this role, he collaborates with surgeons worldwide to advance education, innovation, and best practices in joint replacement, with a focus on emerging technologies such as smart knee implants and robotic-assisted surgery.

Dr. Klibanoff is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, bringing leadership experience from both clinical practice and military service. His work bridges surgical expertise, medical education, and global collaboration to support the evolution of orthopaedic care.

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