Creighton University School of Medicine’s Orthopaedic Surgery Residency in Phoenix is a five-year program that accepts four residents each year. The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program and provides comprehensive training.
The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program in Phoenix is a comprehensive five-year training program dedicated to developing outstanding orthopaedic surgeons through rigorous clinical training, structured education and a strong culture of professionalism and scholarship. This includes:
Applicants must apply through the ERAS for the 2026–2027 match cycle.
Application materials, deadlines and interview information will be available through ERAS and ORIN.
We are excited to welcome Phoenix applicants for in-person interviews for the Creighton University School of Medicine – Phoenix Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program.
As a new residency program, we believe an in-person experience provides applicants with the best opportunity to learn about our training environment, meet the faculty who will shape the program, experience our clinical sites firsthand and better understand what it will mean to be part of our inaugural class of Orthopaedic Surgery residents.
Our residency provides training across two primary clinical campuses: Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Valleywise Health Medical Center. Each site offers a distinct clinical environment, patient population, and educational experience that will contribute to residents’ orthopaedic training.
During your visit, you will have the opportunity to:
Most importantly, we want to meet you. As we recruit our inaugural class, we recognize that our first residents will play an important role in establishing the identity and culture of the program.
We anticipate offering three to five in-person interview dates, with approximately 12 applicants invited per interview day.
Applicants will participate in a structured interview experience that includes:
A social event will also be held the evening before the interview, providing applicants with an informal opportunity to meet members of the program and learn more about the people who are building the residency.
Our goal is for applicants to leave the interview experience with a clear understanding of our program’s vision, training opportunities, clinical environments, faculty and the unique opportunity associated with joining the inaugural class.
We recognize that the cost of traveling for an in-person interview may create a financial burden for some applicants. To help make our interview process more accessible, applicants experiencing financial hardship may apply for our Financial Hardship Scholarship.
Applicants who apply for the scholarship will be provided one night of hotel accommodations at the Hampton Inn Phoenix-Midtown-Downtown Area in conjunction with their interview.
The scholarship application process is administered separately by the Creighton University School of Medicine – Phoenix GME Office. The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, program leadership, faculty and individuals involved in applicant selection will not be informed of who applies for financial assistance. Applying for the scholarship will have no impact on an applicant’s interview experience or consideration by the program.
Information on how to apply for the Financial Hardship Scholarship will be provided to applicants invited to interview.
The five-year curriculum (PGY-1 through PGY-5) focuses on progressive responsibility, operative participation, clinical decision-making and patient-care independence based on resident ability and performance.
Residents average approximately three half-day outpatient clinic sessions per week and approximately eight patients per outpatient session, with inpatient and outpatient care and all age groups.
Formal teaching makes up approximately four hours each week. Residents on most orthopaedic rotations attend Tuesday morning academics from 7–11 a.m. Residents on the pediatric rotation participate in Phoenix Children’s Hospital didactics.
Planned didactics:
Basic science is integrated into the ROCK curriculum and Tuesday didactics. Research methods, study design, evidence interpretation, and literature analysis are incorporated into the ROCK curriculum and journal clubs.
Simulation resources support ACLS- and ATLS-related critical-event training, communication/teamwork scenarios, and open/arthroscopic surgical skills development.
Residents receive protected research time during specified rotations and must complete a faculty-mentored scholarly project before graduation.
Includes six months of general orthopaedics, plus experience in anesthesiology, general surgery trauma, radiology, neurological surgery, vascular surgery and plastic surgery/burn. Dedicated PGY-1 surgical skills education is incorporated longitudinally.
Includes pediatric orthopaedics, musculoskeletal oncology, foot and ankle, trauma and sports medicine.
Includes hip/knee reconstruction, hand, sports medicine, spine, pediatric orthopaedics and general orthopaedics at Arizona Specialty Hospital.
Includes general orthopaedics at Arizona Specialty Hospital, sports medicine, trauma, hand, spine and general orthopaedics.
Includes trauma, hip/knee reconstruction, sports medicine, general orthopaedics, pediatric orthopaedics and an elective. The PGY-5 elective must be used for research if the resident has not yet completed the scholarly requirement.
Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center will serve as the primary training site. Core experiences include general orthopaedics, trauma, radiology, neurological surgery, musculoskeletal oncology and hip/knee reconstruction.
Core experiences include general orthopaedics, anesthesiology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery/burn, foot and ankle, hand and spine.
Core experiences include pediatric orthopaedics and rotations in PGY-2, PGY-3 and PGY-5.
Required experiences include sports medicine, hip/knee reconstruction, and general orthopaedics.
Required trauma experiences.
Required sports medicine experiences.
Residents will have access to dedicated work areas, computers/Wi-Fi, electronic medical resources, library support and research resources across the principal training sites.
The Valleywise Health Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Pavilion provides simulation and surgical skills education with high-fidelity simulators, cadaveric models and low-fidelity surgical models.
To provide the foundation for a lifetime of learning and practice in orthopaedic surgery and to form physicians who aspire to become leaders in the field, grounded in Creighton’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition, committed to excellence in clinical service, education and scholarship.
The program seeks to train competent, compassionate orthopaedic surgeons; develop physician-leaders committed to service and ethical practice; foster lifelong learning and scholarship; and provide meaningful clinical experiences caring for diverse and vulnerable populations in Phoenix and beyond.
Our program is committed to providing rigorous, broad-based orthopaedic training grounded in direct clinical teaching, progressive autonomy and close faculty mentorship. Through our diverse clinical partnerships across Phoenix, our residents will gain meaningful experiences caring for a wide range of patients and develop the knowledge, skills and judgment needed to become excellent orthopaedic surgeons.
As a Jesuit health sciences institution, we are committed to service and cura personalis—care for the whole person. We believe technical excellence and compassionate patient care are inseparable, and we strive to develop surgeons who understand the responsibility that comes with caring for diverse and vulnerable populations in Phoenix and beyond.
Our goal is to prepare residents for successful careers in orthopaedic surgery, while training them to become thoughtful physicians and leaders who will advance the profession and serve their communities with purpose.
John R. Green, MD
Program Director
Audrey McFall, MBA, MSOL
Manager
audreymcfall@creighton.edu
Amber Burgos
Program Coordinator
amberburgos@creighton.edu
John R. Green, MD
Program Director
JohnGreen@creighton.edu
