Information for Applicants
Thank you for your interest in the Texas Tech Health El Paso Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program. We seek residents who are intellectually curious, compassionate, and committed to providing exceptional care to the diverse communities of the U.S.–Mexico border.
Our ACGME-accredited program offers three PGY-1 positions each year, broad exposure to every orthopaedic subspecialty, close faculty mentorship, high surgical volume, and graduated autonomy in a collaborative learning environment.
We look forward to receiving your application for admission into our residency program. We receive applications solely through the Electronic Resident Application Service (ERAS) provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Please submit:
- ERAS Application
- Personal Statement
- Medical School Transcript
- MSPE (Dean's Letter)
- USMLE or COMLEX Transcript
- Three Letters of Recommendation
- If no longer in medical school, one additional letter from your supervising physician.
Applicants are encouraged to submit complete applications early in the ERAS cycle.
We do not have a specific deadline for applications; however, given the volume of applications we receive and the limited number of interview spots, we recommend submitting your application before the ERAS release date of September 24, 2025. Applications received after November 10, 2025, may not be reviewed, as our program participates in the Universal Interview Offer Day, in accordance with the AOA/CORD interview guidelines for Orthopaedic Surgery residency programs.
When interview offers are extended, a 24-hour moratorium will be in place on accepting interviews. Following this moratorium, applicants will have 48 hours to schedule interviews.
We accept three residents per year.
Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications to be eligible to apply for the Orthopaedic Residency Program:
- Graduates of medical schools in the United States that are accredited by the LCME;
- Graduates of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the AOA;
- Graduates of medical schools outside the United States who meet the following qualifications:
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- Have received a currently valid certificate from the ECFMG
- One year U.S. clinical experience (does not include observerships, externships, or research)
There are no minimum score criteria to apply. You do not have to have taken Step 2 CK/Level 2 CE before being extended an interview. However, to be ranked by our program, we must receive passing scores on both USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK (for Allopathic applicants) or COMLEX Level 1 and Level 2 CE (for Osteopathic applicants). Scores can take up to 8 weeks to be reported, so please plan accordingly.
PGY-1 residents must take USMLE 3 or COMLEX Level 3 by the end of the PGY-1 training year/ completion of the TY training program.
USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3, as applicable, must be passed before March 1 or 4 months before the completion of the PGY-2 year.
Applicants who meet our basic criteria will be evaluated and considered. Upon initial review of the applications, you may be selected for an interview, or your application may remain active while we consider other applications. If you are NOT selected for an interview, you will NOT be contacted. We only contact applicants who are selected for an interview.
Interviews for the 2025-2026 application cycle will be held in January. The interview experience begins the night before with dinner with our faculty, followed by interviews the following morning. Expected end time is around 1 p.m.