University of Southern California-Los Angeles General Medical Center USC-LA General Program

Program Identity & Fit

USC/LA General is a university-affiliated, tertiary academic orthopaedic surgery program built around an unusually broad clinical portfolio, spanning Keck Medical Center, the safety-net Los Angeles General Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, a Kaiser community rotation, and Rancho Los Amigos, giving residents exposure ranging from high-acuity trauma and reconstructive cases to pediatric and community musculoskeletal medicine. Research is deeply embedded in the department's identity, reflected in its top-10 NIH funding ranking among orthopaedic programs, a dedicated clinical outcomes unit, mandatory resident research projects with publication expectations, and an optional dedicated research year. A structured two-year Core Curriculum, weekly subspecialty conferences, and a surgical simulation lab underpin the didactic and technical training, and the program supports five in-house fellowships (hand, spine surgery, spine medicine, sports medicine, joint arthroplasty) that create direct subspecialty mentorship pathways. The program explicitly frames itself as preparing residents for any career path - academic, community, or private practice - while emphasizing leadership development and readiness for fellowship training.