Orthopedic Surgeon resume example

A resume for a Orthopedic Surgeon needs to show the work itself: diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system. Day to day that means work like this: analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure; conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
  • Hand Surgeon
  • Physician
  • Surgeon
  • General Surgeon
  • Orthopaedic Surgeon
  • MD
  • TRAM Surgeon
  • Doctor
  • Foot and Ankle Surgeon
  • General Orthopedic Surgeon
  • Medical Doctor
  • Orthopedic Hand Surgeon
  • Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
  • Orthopedic Surgery Physician
  • Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon
  • Physician Surgeon
  • Podiatric Foot and Ankle Specialist

O*NET records 25 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure.
  • Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
  • Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms.
  • Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
  • Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility.
  • Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk.
  • Follow established surgical techniques during the operation.
  • Manage surgery services, including planning, scheduling and coordination, determination of procedures, or procurement of supplies and equipment.
  • Operate on patient's musculoskeletal system to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore patient's functions.
  • Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures.
  • Prepare case histories.

15 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Computer imaging software
  • Electronic medical record EMR software
  • Epic Systems
  • Human resources management system HRMS
  • Image-guided surgery software
  • Integra Radionics NeuroSight Arc
  • Medical laser control software
  • MEDITECH software
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Practice management software PMS
  • Robotic surgery software
  • Three-dimensional 3D virtual surgery software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Abdominal retractors
  • Amputation retractors
  • Anastomosis clamps
  • Andrews tables
  • Argon beam coagulators
  • Arterial line catheters
  • Artery forceps
  • Autologous blood recovery systems
  • Automated external defibrillators AED
  • Balloon perfusion catheters
  • Biopolar cautery equipment
  • Biopsy forceps

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

  • Epic
  • prescribe medications

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Orthopedic Surgeon do?
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system. Day to day that includes work like analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure and Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
What software should a Orthopedic Surgeon list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer imaging software, Electronic medical record EMR software, Epic Systems, Human resources management system HRMS, and Image-guided surgery software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Orthopedic Surgeon work?
O*NET records 25 titles for this occupation, including Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric, Hand Surgeon, Physician, and Surgeon. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Orthopedic Surgeon role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.