After four years of medical school, physicians choose a specialty and arrange for training in their area of interest. Orthopaedic Surgery is one of the surgical specialties that physicians can choose. Orthopaedic training is usually for a five year period after medical school. Once a physician has completed their residency, they are considered board eligible. In order to receive board certification, doctors must pass a difficult examination. They are also required to take an oral test, and have their recent surgical cases reviewed. Information on training and board certification is available from your local medical society.

People who train in orthopaedics learn many special things, including:
* bone disorders,
* joint disorders,
* spine disorders,
* musculoskeletal disorders,
* surgery to repair fractures, congenital problems, or trauma, and
* sports medicine problems.

Orthopaedic surgeons who care for children usually complete additional training in pediatric orthopaedics. In addition, hand surgery is usually considered a subspecialty of orthopaedics, and requires an additional one to two years of training.

Other people who work closely with orthopaedic surgeons are:
* physical therapists,
* occupational therapists,
* podiatrists, and
* physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists or physiatrists.

All of these people assist the orthopaedic surgeon in providing care to patients with orthopaedic problems.

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