How to hire an orthopedic surgeon

How to hire an orthopedic surgeon, step by step

Here's a step-by-step orthopedic surgeon hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an orthopedic surgeon job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new orthopedic surgeon
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an orthopedic surgeon do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the orthopedic surgeon you need to hire. Certain orthopedic surgeon roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An orthopedic surgeon's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, orthopedic surgeons from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of orthopedic surgeons and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Orthopedic Surgeon	Description	Hourly rate
   Orthopedic Surgeon	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$35-123
   Doctor	A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary... Show more	$50-196
   Physician	Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis... Show more	$61-212

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Spine
   • EMR
   • Sports Medicine
   • Patient Care
   • Private Practice
   • Rehabilitation
   • Physical Therapy
   • MRI
   • Radiology
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Exam Rooms
   • Post-Operative Care
   • Surgical Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
   • Handle medical billing, medical transcription, and medical billing.
   • Perform surgical procedures of the foot and ankle in both a hospital and surgery center setting.
   • Provide conservative and surgical care of foot and ankle relate medical conditions for children and adults.
   • Register and interview patients for purpose of compiling medical history and record keeping.
   • Perform laparoscopic surgery on regular basis (cholecystectomy, appendectomy, gynecological surgery).

   More orthopedic surgeon duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your orthopedic surgeon job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An orthopedic surgeon can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, orthopedic surgeons' average salary in wyoming is 50% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level orthopedic surgeons 72% less than senior-level orthopedic surgeons.
   • Certifications. An orthopedic surgeon with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an orthopedic surgeon's salary.

   Average orthopedic surgeon salary

   $137,571yearly

   $66.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level orthopedic surgeon salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average orthopedic surgeon salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$144,877	$70
   2	Maine	$141,074	$68
   3	New York	$131,674	$63
   4	Pennsylvania	$128,322	$62
   5	Michigan	$117,878	$57
   6	California	$117,450	$56
   7	Arizona	$114,891	$55
   8	North Dakota	$112,475	$54
   9	Tennessee	$111,842	$54
   10	South Carolina	$106,577	$51
   11	Ohio	$106,178	$51
   12	Virginia	$101,409	$49
   13	Washington	$99,075	$48
   14	Oregon	$98,909	$48
   15	Minnesota	$97,241	$47
   16	Oklahoma	$95,479	$46
   17	Illinois	$93,386	$45
   18	Texas	$93,100	$45
   19	Montana	$91,332	$44
   20	Florida	$90,399	$43

   Average orthopedic surgeon salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Trinity Health	$374,035	$179.82	37
   2	MaineGeneral Health	$357,222	$171.74	3
   3	CARTI	$352,400	$169.42
   4	Dignity Health	$349,871	$168.21	17
   5	Wellstar Health System	$348,991	$167.78	4
   6	St. Mary's Regional Medical Center	$348,834	$167.71
   7	Allina Health	$340,759	$163.83	20
   8	Ridgecrest Regional Hospital	$338,657	$162.82
   9	Bradford Regional Medical Center (upper Allegheny Health System)	$338,447	$162.71
   10	Beaufort Memorial Hospital	$334,808	$160.97
   11	Rochester Regional Health	$329,072	$158.21	1
   12	Chester West Medical Center	$324,309	$155.92
   13	Frederick Health	$324,162	$155.85	2
   14	Essentia Health	$323,789	$155.67	20
   15	Claxton Hepburn	$322,420	$155.01	2
   16	Northwestern Medicine	$320,189	$153.94
   17	Wayne County Hospital and Clinic System	$315,403	$151.64
   18	Houston Methodist	$314,665	$151.28	51
   19	Piedmont Healthcare	$313,952	$150.94	3
   20	Spectrum Healthcare Resources	$312,071	$150.03	5

4. Writing an orthopedic surgeon job description

   A job description for an orthopedic surgeon role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an orthopedic surgeon job description:

   Orthopedic surgeon job description example

   
   US-WA-Vancouver
   
   Type: Regular Full-Time
   Salmon Creek Medical Ctr campus
   
   Overview
   
   

   Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel has a full-time benefited opportunity for a BE/BC pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Candidates would join an established team that includes 3 pediatric orthopedic surgeons, and 3 physician assistants. Preferred candidates have a strong clinical background, a great work ethic, an interest in expanding our pediatric orthopedic practice, quality improvement and education. Our program offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services in the Portland/Vancouver area.

   For decades Randall Children's Hospital has been a regional leader in providing excellent care to infants, children and teens in Portland and the Pacific Northwest and is one of Oregon's largest providers of pediatric inpatient and trauma services. Randall Children's Hospital medical staff is made up of more than 600 physicians, including pediatric medical and surgical specialists, hospitalists and community pediatricians. Randall Children's Hospital receives nearly 100,000 patient visits per year. The children's Emergency Department is Oregon's busiest with more than 26,000 visits annually. Randall Children's Hospital is a teaching facility for medical students and residents. This position is responsible for taking call at Randall Children's Hospital.

   Randall Children's Hospital is committed to delivering comprehensive and family-centered care with compassion and excellence. We are a not for profit 501(c) 3 organization for federal educational loan forgiveness.

   Portland is a city that continually ranks in the top 10 for livability and includes both urban and family-friendly communities. Portland has a wide arrange of nationally recognized parks for hiking and off-road biking. The city is sophisticated, offering diverse cultural activities including a wide range of theater, musical and museums open throughout the year. In the spring and summer months, Portlanders gather on the waterfront for concerts and fun activities. If your desire is to step out of the city, take a hike in the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, hit the slopes of Mt. Hood or catch a wave off the Oregon Coast - all a short drive from Portland.

   This opportunity offers a compensation at the national median. Legacy offers a generous benefits packages including medical, CME allowance, malpractice coverage, pension and relocation bonus.

   Education:

   • Graduate of four-year U.S. Medical School or equivalent.
   • Completion of ACGME accredited residency in orthopedic surgery.
   • Fellowship in subspecialty area of pediatric orthopedic surgery required.

   Qualifications:

   • Board certified/eligible in Pediatric Orthopedics
   • Board Certification as required by Medical Staff bylaws
   • Unrestricted license to practice medicine in the applicable state(s)
   • Active member in good standing of Hospital Medical Staff
   • BLS Certificate from the American Heart Association
   • Current PALS certification

   Experience:

   Two to three years' experience in the management of orthopedic patients preferred.

   Legacy Values in Action:

   Follows guidelines set forth in Legacy's Values in Action.

   Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disabled

   PI193364922

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find orthopedic surgeons for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find orthopedic surgeon candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with orthopedic surgeon candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new orthopedic surgeon

   Once you've decided on a perfect orthopedic surgeon candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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