Michael Marinier, PGY1
Five years is a long commitment, and I could not be more thrilled to have matched here at University of Iowa for Orthopedic Surgery. I have been incredibly fortunate to learn about and experience the department over the past four years during medical school. Through research projects, mentorship events, and clinical rotations, both as a junior and senior student, I have had abundant opportunities to interact with the people within our department. The people are among the top reasons Iowa was my first choice. Everyone is so welcoming, and they treat everyone as a valuable member of the team. Similarly, there is no traditional hierarchy system that makes me, as an intern, afraid to talk to senior residents or staff directly. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the people here is that we look out for each other here – whether it’s coming up to the OR to help your coresident close or showing up to call early to take some burden off your coresident or grabbing food/drinks after a long day or week to unwind.
Iowa also drew me in based on the quality of the training. This program has a long legacy of not only training great surgeons but leaders in the field. During the interview process, it was clear that certain programs had their residents help facilitate procedures without truly learning how to operate. As someone that wants to learn how to become a skilled, well-trained surgeon during residency, I knew Iowa was the spot for me. To facilitate this learning, I greatly appreciate how quickly interns are thrown into the mix; for example, as interns we take weekly primary call immediately, which allows us to quickly learn to manage floor patients and field new consults. Also, interns have opportunities to scrub as first assist where, with staff guidance, you can do a majority of the case within weeks of starting intern year.
Finally, I wanted to stay in Iowa for the community. “Iowa nice” may be a cliché, but it is so true. As a tertiary care center and the only level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center in the state, we field a diverse and comprehensive variety of patients. These Iowans emulate the Iowa niceness with extreme gratitude. This same attitude also makes for the Iowa City-Coralville area a great place to live. With plenty of dining, shopping, outdoor, and event options, every person can find a home for their hobbies and interests. Iowa is a great place to live, and The University of Iowa is an even greater place to train. I will be forever grateful to train in this historic program, and I encourage all prospective residents to join us!
Arianna Dalamaggas, PGY2
Finding the right residency program is like finding the perfect house, and I found both in Iowa City. When I was looking for a house, I wanted to make sure it had the features I was looking for, that it was in a good location, and most importantly, that it felt just right. These are exactly the things I looked for in a residency program. First, the features of our program that stood out to me most were the number of residents in each cohort year, which makes getting to know everyone easy. We also have daily didactic sessions which are primarily faculty-led where we all gather each morning. Residents are pushed to embrace progressive autonomy in the OR as your skills appropriately develop. Lastly, on this topic of important program attributes is research. Being familiar with existing literature and contributing enables you to be a better surgeon and provide better care to your patients. I wanted to be supported in this effort with a program that has a good infrastructure in place to make the logistics of research a little less daunting. Next on the topic of location, Iowa City is a place where life is easy. I didn't want to move to a place where the cost of living would put me further in debt or where it was difficult just to get to the hospital in the morning. Here, my life is fun and simple outside of residency. I live close to the things I need like Costco and Trader Joe's, there are variety of great local restaurants, and there are always things to do with friends including a variety of festivals and boating on the lake.
The last and arguably the most important thing I looked for in a residency program was fit. When I was applying for residency, I always said that it would be easy to find a program where I would get a good orthopaedics education, but what mattered more to me was where I could get an outstanding orthopaedics education with the right group of people surrounding me. This is exactly what I found at the University of Iowa. Like many of my co-residents, I placed a great emphasis on fit and culture. You can make an excel scoring system dozens of different ways, but what it truly comes down to is feel. How did you feel when you were rotating or interviewing? How did you feel you fit with the current residents? Lastly, how do you feel you could contribute to the program? These were all things I considered when I rotated and what made me choose Iowa. As a medical student on day one of my rotation, I was immediately included as part of the team with an active role – not just an observer. This program felt like home to me after rotating so much so that I didn't want to leave after a month. I knew then that no place would compare. Our department is nationally recognized with faculty who are leaders in the field of orthopaedics at large as well as within their subspecialty societies; however, it's still a place where faculty get to know you beginning the day you walk in the door, they're available and supportive of your research interests, and they push you to become a better surgeon every day. It's also a place where residents support one another. People will stay late to help with call or cases, we keep up with each other outside of the hospital, and one of the things I love most is that friendships extend beyond cohort years. I hope for those reading this that you appreciate how resident-centric this program is. I feel honored to be a resident here and work every day to continue the legacy of excellence those before me have built within this program.
Mary Kate Skalitzky, PGY3
Making your rank list is an exciting and stressful experience. As part of developing my own rank list, one of my mentors recommended listing out my priorities for a program to guide my process. While everyone’s priorities might be slightly different, my personal top three priorities were strength of training, the people, and the location. The University of Iowa truly has the best of all three of these characteristics.
The legacy of orthopedic surgery at the University of Iowa is unparalleled and develops excellent surgeons and clinical leaders. All the faculty and residents strive to be the best and the culture at UI Hospitals & Clinics celebrates hard work while still emphasizing a friendly working environment. The rotation schedule and call schedule promotes graduated responsibility, starting with the interns taking primary call on the weekend.
Coming to the University of Iowa, I knew I would be challenged while also being supported and cared for by our amazing group of residents and faculty. It is truly the people at Iowa who make this program shine. The residents here are the hardest-working, most enthusiastic, and down to earth people I’ve ever worked with. The program itself feels like a big family. And importantly, the program is really family friendly and inclusive. I’m only a few months into residency and I know I’ve already made lifelong friends here. Finally, Iowa City is a fantastic place to live and train during residency. The city is beautiful with lots of fun activities without the inconveniences of a bigger city. I couldn’t be happier to be here and am proud to be an orthopedic surgery resident at the University of Iowa.
Connor Maly, MD, PGY4
Formulating our rank list was one of the most significant decisions of our lives. My fiancé and I recognized that where we trained would alter the course of our future for the next five years and thereafter. When we found out that we would be going to Iowa, we were ecstatic to have matched at our top choice for residency. Coming from medical school at Georgetown in DC, we were thrilled to be heading to Iowa. Not only did we rank Iowa number one because we wanted to get the best training possible, but we also wanted to join a family. It was the greatest feeling to know that I would get the chance to train at one of the finest residencies in the country with my fiancé alongside in the OBGYN residency.
At Iowa, joining a family is the major emphasis. You would be joining an incredibly close-knit community composed of residents and faculty that care deeply for you and your growth as a future orthopedic surgeon. This includes your growth as a surgeon and your well-being along the way. The residents and faculty will have your back during the difficult challenges that you face, whether it be an extremely busy day on call or a conflict outside of the hospital. Your co-residents will lift you up and push you to be your best self. Countless times that I have taken call, my co-resident Sarah stayed hours late or showed up hours early to help me out. My other co-interns would stay late to share lessons that they have learned in their own experiences on call or lend a hand in any way that they could even when busy. They have become family and they are always there to talk or help out. That is the type of culture that exists at Iowa.
Here, the faculty members will truly inspire you. Yet at the same time, they will make you feel like a part of their family. This is the case inside and outside of the hospital. For example, Dr. Weinstein’s wife spent hours helping me and my fiancé find a townhome. She facetimed us multiple times to show us potential neighborhoods, talked to us many times on the phone, and ultimately found us the perfect place to live. Only in Iowa would the wife of a past president of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Orthopedic Association help an intern find a place to live. The people here, whether it be the employees, nurses, physicians, or other residents are genuinely kind and welcoming. This makes the entire process of being a resident much more pleasant.
The wonderful people are not the only reason that makes this place so special. For the last 100 years, Iowa Orthopedics has helped further the entire specialty of orthopedics. As stated on the website, four faculty at Iowa have served as president to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, four faculty have served as president of the world’s oldest Orthopedic society, the American Orthopedic Association, six faculty have served as president of the Orthopedic Research Society and six faculty have served as directors of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Iowa has produced some of the finest surgeons and academic physicians in the world. The reason that Iowa produces such incredible surgeons is the resident-focus from the entire department.
Having been here, I feel so lucky to have matched at this incredible program. The training and the people are second to none. Here, you will be pushed each day to better yourself and live up to the standards set throughout the past 100 years, you will inherit the duty to provide excellent care to your patients, and you will gain a family along your journey in becoming an excellent orthopedic surgeon.
Jacob Henrichsen, MD, PGY5
Iowa has a longstanding reputation of being one of the best, most well-rounded orthopedic residency programs in the country. This was made apparent to me on my rotation as I witnessed unparalleled academic support, outstanding leadership, and teaching in and out of the operating rooms. The uniqueness of the program was made ever more clear as I toured other programs.
What had me the most excited about Iowa though was the residents. They demonstrated clinical confidence and were constantly striving to learn more. Each and every resident that I worked with had an internal drive to do what was best for the patient. They were happy, kind, and made me feel like part of the team. The program is made up of residents and staff who genuinely care about individual development and progression, and are people who I could see would help me to achieve my professional goals.
Iowa City and its surrounding area were also appealing to me. It's an incredible environment to raise a family in, with plenty of things to do regardless of your living situation. Having a wife and kids of my own, living in a place like Iowa City where they could thrive was crucial to me, as my success coincides with theirs.
Malynda Wynn, MD, Recent Graduate
I could not be more thrilled to have matched at the University of Iowa for residency. I grew up modestly in a small, Midwestern town where I learned quickly that hard work would help carry me beyond my circumstances. In this program, you see similar values in faculty and staff from unique backgrounds that put their heart and soul into what they do. This resonated with me during my interview day the most.
My interview was right in the middle of the season and I quickly realized I was comparing all interviews afterwards to Iowa. When interview season ended, my gut wouldn't let go of how great of a potential fit this program was. You get a lot of advice on how to systematically evaluate programs during interviews, but I believe it truly is a gut feeling that you shouldn't ignore when trying to make your decision. You know that you are getting the best training from faculty that are truly resident-centered and continually making efforts to further the program however they can.
When first going into interview season, I had heard of the prestige that the University of Iowa held, and was both excited and nervous for my interview. What really stuck with me about interview day was that with everyone I spoke to, I was able to have a real conversation. I wasn’t asked the typical interview questions that reiterate what was on my application. Instead, both the faculty and residents made a concerted effort to get to know me as a person. Especially not having rotated in the department as a medical student, I was surprised at how quickly I was able to connect with everyone I met.
This department also has a long and rich history in orthopedics with many leaders in the field - which initially intimidated me. I have always felt less confident than my peers and wondered if I would be able to keep up. What I have been told by many, and have now seen firsthand, is that this department is a family and doesn't leave anyone behind. There is so much positive energy from your fellow residents, that even on the most difficult of days, you go home from work still loving what you do. A large part of that dynamic is the teamwork and inherent trust you see between the residents.
I would describe Iowa City as an easy place to live. With the university being at the city’s core, there are many different restaurants to explore and events happening weekly. You’ll also find that the surrounding area is well-suited for outdoor activities with many bike trails and multiple lakes within a short distance. Plus, with the reasonable cost of living and ease of navigating the city, I couldn't think of a better place to spend my residency years.