ABPS Orthopedic Surgery study guide
ABPS Orthopedic Surgery · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Board of Certification in Orthopedic Surgery (BCOS) is a member board of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), a nationally recognized multi-specialty certifying body that offers certification to both allopathic and osteopathic physicians. BCOS certification is intended for practicing orthopedic surgeons who have completed an accredited internship and an orthopedic surgery residency and who hold a valid, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States, its territories, or Canada. Candidates trained outside the United States and Canada may pursue an academic pathway. The certification process has two stages: a written examination that assesses orthopedic surgery knowledge and skills, followed by an oral examination that candidates may take only after passing the written component. The ABPS Orthopedic Surgery study guide has 2 sections and about 531 words.
01Orthopedic Surgery Knowledge and Skills - Written Exam
The written exam rewards a structured, mechanism-first knowledge base rather than rote recall. Build your review around these core concept clusters: fracture biology and healing (primary vs secondary healing, the roles of stability and blood supply, timing of union), classification systems used to drive treatment (e.g., Salter–Harris for physeal injuries, Garden for femoral neck, Gustilo–Anderson for open fractures, Neer for proximal humerus), biomechanics and implant principles (load-bearing vs load-sharing constructs, lag screws, plating, intramedullary nailing, tension-band constructs), and regional anatomy with its danger zones (radial nerve at the humeral shaft, common peroneal nerve at the fibular neck, axillary nerve at the surgical neck).
285 words, about 1 min02Orthopedic Surgery Clinical Practice - Oral Exam
The oral exam tests whether you can think and speak like a surgeon : organized history, focused exam, reasoned differential, prioritized plan, and awareness of complications. Structure every answer with a clear scaffold: chief complaint and pertinent history (mechanism, timing, functional impact, red flags), focused physical exam (inspection, palpation, range of motion, neurovascular status, special tests), differential diagnosis , workup (labs, imaging, and why), management (nonoperative vs operative, with rationale), and complications and follow-up .
246 words, about 1 min