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Orthopedic surgeon: what the job actually is

A surgeon who repairs and replaces bones and joints, after the accident or the years of wear that brought the patient in.

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Orthopedic surgeon: quick facts

Orthopedic surgeon salary in Ontario: Job Bank reports one figure for the whole group of specialists in surgery, not for orthopedic surgeon alone. For that group the median pay is $403,957 a year (reference period 2023-2024). The group's three-year outlook in Ontario is good. The job usually needs a university degree.

Median pay in Ontario
$403,957 a year
Pay range (low to high)
$118,538 to $749,689 a year
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Good
People working in it in Ontario
4,050
Usually needs
Usually a university degree

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 31101. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • A medical doctor who operates on bones, joints and the tissues around them. Some of your patients arrive after an accident, and many arrive after years of wear that has made a hip, a knee or a shoulder hard to use.
  • Job Bank groups orthopedic surgeons with other specialists in surgery, group 31101, the same group as our surgeon page, and reports one pay figure and one outlook for the whole group, not for orthopedics alone.
  • The work is physical in a way few specialties are. You are repairing a mechanical structure, and holding a limb steady, applying force and getting alignment right are part of it.
  • Part of your week is the operating list, and part is clinic, where you look at images, examine the joint and decide whether surgery will help or whether other treatment is the better answer.
  • The operation is only part of the patient's story. Recovery depends on rehabilitation, which is mostly done by others, such as physiotherapists, and the result depends on how it goes afterward.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 6:45 — Round on your inpatients. You check wounds, X-rays and whether a patient can stand and take a step.
  2. 7:30 — Pre-op huddle with the anesthesiologist and nurses: the plan, the implants and instruments, who is on the table first.
  3. 8:00 — The first joint replacement. It is a planned sequence of steps, and the work is exact, loud and physical.
  4. 10:30 — A short break, then a second operation. Your shoulders and back are already telling you about the morning.
  5. 12:30 — Lunch, standing, with a call about an injured patient in the emergency department.
  6. 13:30 — A fracture that needs fixing. You decide quickly and carefully, because the clock matters.
  7. 16:00 — Clinic. A patient wants surgery, and the honest advice is to wait and try other treatment first.
  8. 17:00 — Review the images for tomorrow's list and talk to a nervous patient on the phone.
  9. 18:00 — Notes and orders. The operation is done, but the paperwork is not.
  10. 21:00 — If you are on call, the phone rings. A road accident, a fall, a break that cannot wait.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You like building and fixing things with your hands, and you do not mind a hard physical job.
  • You think in structure and mechanics, and you like to see a problem put right in a single sitting.
  • You can stay calm and decisive when someone has just been hurt.
  • You are comfortable giving an honest recommendation, including that surgery is not the answer.
  • You like a team that includes anesthesiologists, nurses and physiotherapists, and you work well beside them.
You may hate this if
  • You want a short route. After a bachelor's degree and medical school, Job Bank gives five to six years of specialty residency for specialists in surgery, and says two more years of subspecialty training may be needed.
  • You dislike physical strain. The operating room asks for strength and stamina, and years of standing and bending take a toll on the back and the shoulders.
  • You want predictable hours. Trauma and injuries do not wait, and call can take evenings, nights and weekends.
  • You dislike waiting lists and limited operating time. Many patients wait for surgery, and some are in pain while they do.
  • You cannot bear outcomes you do not control. A technically good operation can still leave a patient with pain or stiffness, and part of the result depends on rehabilitation.
  • You do not like loud, heavy, messy work. Orthopedic operations use power tools, force and a good deal of noise.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Do a degree and get into medical school

    Job Bank says a bachelor's degree is usually required, then graduation from an approved medical school. Each school sets its own entry rules. Our family physician page lists the six Ontario medical schools.

  2. Match into an orthopedic surgery residency

    Job Bank gives five to six years of specialty residency training for specialists in surgery, and says two more years of subspecialty training may also be required. We did not read the orthopedic residency page or how places are given out, so ask a medical school and do not assume.

  3. Pass the Royal College examinations

    Job Bank says the certifying examinations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada are required. The CPSO's independent practice certificate page also lists the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination, Parts 1 and 2.

  4. Get licensed by the CPSO

    Licensing by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is compulsory. The CPSO says a certificate holder may only practise in the areas where they are educated and experienced.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Specialists in surgery, requirements in Ontario · CPSO — Independent practice certificate requirements

The money

Orthopedic surgeon salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$118,538
Low (a year)
$403,957
Median (a year)
$749,689
High (a year)

Ontario, NOC 31101. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth. Job Bank reports this one by the year rather than by the hour, because the income is commission and the hours behind it are nothing like fixed.

Source: Job Bank — Orthopedic surgeon wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Good4 out of 5 stars

  • Employment is expected to remain relatively stable.
  • A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

4,050
people work in this job in Ontario
32%
are women (48% across all jobs)
64%
are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Specialists in surgery job prospects in Ontario (NOC 31101). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Take senior biology, chemistry, physics and maths, and keep your marks strong. Mechanics and anatomy both matter here.
  • Take a shop, technology or building course if you can. Orthopedics is closer to carpentry than most people expect, and it is worth finding out whether you like working with tools.
  • Take a first-aid course and learn how to support an injured limb until help arrives.
  • Read the admission requirements of one Ontario medical school so you know what your university years must include.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Build a working joint out of cardboard and string

About 75 minutes
  1. Using cardboard, paper fasteners and string or tape, build a model hinge joint, like an elbow, with two segments, a pivot and a cord that works as a tendon. Use safe materials and blunt tools.
  2. Test it. Where does it slip, bend the wrong way or wear? Fix one problem and test again, and write down what you changed.
  3. Rebuild one part so the alignment is better and the joint swings smoothly. Notice how much of your time went into getting things straight.
  4. Open the Job Bank requirements page for specialists in surgery and write the route in order.

What it tells you. If you enjoyed the fixing and the straightening, and the long route still looked worth paying, orthopedics suits how you think, and the sciences and grades come next. If the building felt like a chore, or the route and the physical load looked too heavy, physiotherapy, kinesiology and nursing reach the same patients with different training.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “How physically demanding is the work, and what do you do to look after your own body?”
  2. “How do you decide when not to operate?”
  3. “What part of a patient's recovery is out of your hands?”
  4. “How do you manage call and emergencies around the rest of your life?”
  5. “What made you choose orthopedics over another surgical specialty?”
  6. “What would you tell a student about the length and cost of the training?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Partly. Job Bank's workforce figures show that most specialists in surgery are self-employed, but an orthopedic surgeon needs an operating room, which a hospital or surgical centre provides. Ask an orthopedic surgeon how their arrangement works.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does an orthopedic surgeon make in Ontario?

Job Bank reports one figure for the whole group of specialists in surgery, not for an orthopedic surgeon alone. For that group the median pay is $403,957 a year (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $118,538 to $749,689 a year. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for an orthopedic surgeon in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as good for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment is expected to remain relatively stable. A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements. There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become an orthopedic surgeon in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a university degree. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Do a degree and get into medical school; Match into an orthopedic surgery residency; Pass the Royal College examinations.

How many people work as an orthopedic surgeon in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 4,050 people working in this job in Ontario. 32% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Health careers in Ontario: outlook and pay What can you do with your degree?

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

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Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.