An orthopedic career fair: a novel recruitment event.

© 2007 Association médicale canadienne S 1996, surgical residency programs across Canada have seen a steady decline in the number of applicants. In the 2004 Orthopaedic Residency Match, 3 positions were not filled in Canada in the first iteration of the match. According to results taken from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), from Match Reports and from the Postmatch Survey Reports from 1994 to 2004, the number of applications to orthopedic programs have decreased, and on 2 occasions during that time, several positions remained vacant after the first round of the match open to North American applicants. The lack of applicants for demanding surgical positions is not limited to Canada. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has recently introduced a video education program for medical students, entitled Follow Your Path. The program is described as a “grassroots communications program designed to attract medical students to orthopedic residency programs.” Although interest in surgical programs has declined, applications to specialties perceived to have a better lifestyle, such as anesthesia and diagnostic radiology, have seen an increase in applicant numbers. The importance of reference letters in the CaRMS process has made the selection of electives critical in preparing a strong application, forcing students to consider their career choice early in their medical education. Traditional program recruitment strategies, such as journal clubs, career sponsored dinners, email lists and elective rotations, have not been sufficient in educating students about potential career choices. Faculty intervention tactics such as appropriate inpatient and outpatient clinical experience and role modelling may be needed to make surgery more attractive. It appears that an early positive surgical experience was the most influential factor in career decisions made by surgeons who are happy with their career choice. To assist medical students in evaluating orthopedic surgery as a possible career path, we designed, implemented and evaluated a 2-day orthopedic fair.