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Blog Summary
Orthopedics focuses on amending deformities in the musculoskeletal system, including muscles and bones. It’s the fastest-growing segment in surgical medicine. An orthopedic surgeon treats arthritis, birth deformities, physical trauma, and damage to muscles and bones and earns between INR 1,100,000 to INR 5,000,000 depending on experience. Career prospects include orthopedic surgeon, critical care, clinical associate, medical consultant, orthopedic professor, etc. MBBS graduates need to study MS program with a specialization in orthopedic trauma, hand surgery, elbow and shoulder surgery, joint reconstruction, etc to pursue a career in the field. Or can study a two-year MMed program specializing in orthopedics at TAU. The course is curated to help medical professionals improve their knowledge and specialize without quitting clinical practice.
If you are finding an answer for how to become an orthopedic surgeon in India, then read on. We have some answers!
Orthopedics is a science branch that deals with amending deformities in our musculoskeletal system, including our muscles and bones. If you look at it, then our musculoskeletal system gives us our form, body support, motion, and stability. When this system is facing problems, we observe multiple issues, which may require different types of surgical and non-surgical medication.
Who Is an Orthopedic Surgeon?
An orthopedic surgeon has the ability to treat arthritis, birth deformities, physical trauma, and damage to muscles and bones.
If you wish to understand the orthopedic surgeon career prospects, job opportunities, salary package, and study procedure, then we can help you. In the following sections, we have discussed how to become an orthopedic surgeon in detail. Dive in and start exploring!
Why Choose Orthopedic Surgeon Career as Your Specialization?
The first question that might be crossing your mind maybe why you should become an orthopedic surgeon. Below we have gathered some startling numbers and insights related to this field. After reading the scope of an orthopedic surgeon’s career, you would be able to make the right decision.
Demand for Orthopedic Surgeons in India
According to the given statistics, we have a poor ratio of the surgeon to the patient. For a population of 1250 million people, we have only 20,000 or fewer orthopedic surgeons. In the year 2015, there were 10,000 registered IOA orthopedic surgeons.
If we add 10,000 to this count for the surgeons who are not registered with IOA, we get 20,000. This means that every orthopedic surgeon has 62,500 people to treat.
Unfortunately, even these orthopedic surgeons are in big cities and metropolitans. In rural areas, there are very few orthopedic services.
Expected Growth of Orthopedic Surgery Sector in India
The increase in the number of people suffering from orthopedic diseases or musculoskeletal problems is also increasing the demand for orthopedic surgeons. In fact, the orthopedics field is now considered one of the fastest-growing segments of surgical medicine. It is expected to achieve a CAGR of 25.82% between 2019 and 2023.
Currently, the size of the orthopedic market in India is USD 375 million or INR 2,400 crores. This is expected to grow by 20% every year. This means that by 2030, the valuation of this market would be around INR 16,000 crores.
In all, there’s growth in the field. You can easily find orthopedic surgeon jobs or start your own practice from a clinic.
Salary Range of Orthopedic Surgeons in India
The salary range of orthopedic surgeon jobs in India is one of the biggest reasons to enter this field.
- If you are an entry-level surgeon and you have no experience or 1-year of experience, then you can earn approximately INR 1,100,000.
- For a mid-level orthopedic surgeon with experience of 1-4 years, the average salary could be around INR 1,200,000. In case the orthopedic surgeon has the experience of 5-9 years, their salary can go up to INR 1,900,000.
- Similarly, for an orthopedic surgeon with 10-19 years of experience, the salary is around INR 2,300,000 or more. If this experience is more than 20 years, then your compensation can be INR 5,000,000.
Source: PayScale
It is obvious that as you grow in your career, your salary package improves. Even at the starting of your career, your salary is better than in various other fields.
Career Prospects for Orthopedic Surgeons in India
After completing your education in the orthopedic field, you can select from various positions.
- Orthopedic surgeon
- Critical care
- Clinical associate
- Medical consultant
- Orthopedic assistant
- Orthopedic professor
- Pediatric surgeon
We have explained some of these fields with the expected salary packages below:
| Job | Description | Salary |
| Orthopedic surgeon | As an orthopedic surgeon, you would be responsible for surgeries and emergency cases. You would get a chance to assist and conduct surgeries related to injuries, trauma, infections, and other issues. Simply put, you may be closely working on the musculoskeletal system. | Up to 20 LPA |
| Orthopedic professor | The teaching field also interests many professionals. Here, your salary might be a little less. However, with the right knowledge, you can educate other aspiring orthopedic surgeons and help them move forward in this field. You would be offering knowledge to students in a dedicated aspect of this field. | Up to 4 LPA |
| Clinical associate | As a clinical associate, you are expected to manage trials. You can work in clinics or private chambers to provide reports on various types of clinical trials. This is an exciting field, as you may be working on various real-time factors to conclude something important. | Up to 5 LPA |
| Pediatric surgeon | Similar to orthopedic surgeons, pediatric surgeons treat young people suffering from muscle and bone issues. These issues can include congenital disabilities, traumas, and other surgical complications. Here a major part of the job is to diagnose and treat the patient properly. | Up to 13 LPA |
| Medical consultant | Medical consultants are a bit different. They offer their advice for healthcare and guide patients in the right direction. Usually, medical consultants either work with hospitals or independently. | Up to 8 LPA |
Growth and Career Opportunities for Orthopedic Surgeons with Experience
Once you have completed your education as an orthopedic surgeon, you have various opportunities, not only in terms of the number of available fields but also with respect to salary.
On average, an orthopedic surgeon earns up to INR 3,500,000 yearly or INR 1,710 hourly. With this, most of the orthopedic surgeons also receive a bonus of INR 400,000 or more. If you have experience in this field, then your career graph would be on an upward trajectory.
Source: Salary Expert
How to Become an Orthopedic Surgeon in India
If you have finally made up your mind to proceed with this career option, then check out this guide to receive an appropriate education. We have made some options. Read on to see which one is feasible for you.
Certification Exams
Entrance exams play a major role in getting into higher studies. Here are some exclusive exams that can direct aspirants toward their goal:
- National Board of Examinations DNB CET
- Medical College Admissions Test
- Banaras Hindu University Entrance Exam
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Exam
- Postgraduate Medical Entrance Examination
- Armed Forces Medical College Entrance Exam
| Pros | Cons |
| You can get into a renowned college. | You need to pursue the course full-time. |
| It adds more value to your profession. | The time and dedication needed to clear this entrance test is just too much. |
Students have to clear an entrance exam as the first step to become an orthopedic surgeon. However, clearing these tests is difficult. Sometimes, the aspirant needs to spend multiple years studying for the entrance test only.
Master of Surgery
It is mandatory to get an MBBS degree to start a career as a doctor. This would be a 4-year full-time course with a one-year residency. After MBBS and clearing the required entrance exam like NEET PG, you can enroll in your MS in orthopedics. During this course, you can specialize in the following fields:
- Orthopedic trauma
- Hand surgery
- Elbow and shoulder surgery
- Joint reconstruction
- Musculoskeletal oncology
- Ankle and foot surgery
- Spine surgery
- Surgical sports
- Pediatric orthopedics
If you have a post-graduate diploma, then this course would take 2 years. But, after MBBS, this course requires 3 years of full-time education.
Once you have completed your MBBS and MS, you can start working as a junior doctor or orthopedic surgeon.
Fellowship or Diploma Courses
The above options are time-consuming, and sometimes, not feasible. Hence, there’s another option to become an orthopedic surgeon: fellowship from Texila American University.
Texila American University offers a 2-year MMed (Master of Surgery) degree in partnership with the University of Central Nicaragua. Through this course, you can specialize in your desired field, such as orthopedics (in this case).
TAU has specially curated this course to help medical professionals improve their knowledge and specialize without quitting clinical practice.
With this course, you can:
- Strengthen your knowledge
- Specialize in a field
- Acquire specialty certification
- A complete course in free time
- Improve through continuous assessments
- Assess your skills with exams every 6 months
- Focus on publication and research
Why Is Texila American University Perfect for Orthopedic Surgeon Course?
If you are wondering why you should enroll in Texila American University, here’s the reason why:
- You can easily transfer your credits to a Master of Surgery course from DNB or diploma. This would be achieved without harming your current practice.
- As a student, you get a chance to work in medical facilities in order to acquire important clinical skills.
- Monthly review sessions are held to understand your issues and resolve your queries.
- If you face any issues, you can utilize the online information repository.
- If you are enrolled for 1 year or more, you get an opportunity to study for Royal College Exam.
- We emphasize publication and research, which also mandates every student to write an article review based on the latest research.
- On successful completion, you get a degree for Master of Surgery.
Orthopedics course from Texila American University is a valuable course that holds high value in India. Students who have completed PG fellowship can easily enroll in Texila’s Master of Surgery program to pursue orthopedics without leaving clinical practice. If you require more information on how this is the best-suited course for your career, visit our website and gain more information.
