Department of
Medical Education

Michelle Bramer

Name: Michelle Bramer

Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical School, Syracuse, NY

Residency: West Virginia University; Fellowship: Penn State University

Faculty Rank: Associate professor, residency program director

Special Clinical/Research Interests: nonunion, clinical outcomes of fracture care

Is there a particular population of students (e.g., ethnicity, spiritual, sexual orientation) that you would particularly like to advise? 

No

What does a typical day in the life of an Orthopedic Surgeon include?

I spend two days a week in the operating room taking care of patients who mostly come through the emergency department, some from outpatient clinic appointments. I spend two days a week in clinic seeing fracture patients and postoperative patients. And my last day is for academic and research. I take 2-3 days of orthopaedic trauma call per month, which can be busy especially in the summer.

What is the biggest challenge of being a Orthopedic Surgeon ?

It can be difficult to plan when my OR days will finish. Sometimes they can run late depending on how many patients need taken care of. Its also difficult to develop early physician patient relationships since I meet most of my patients for the first time in the ED or preop area.

How do you foresee Orthopaedics changing over the next 20 years?

New technology and AI will assist with reading of xrays and other imaging. We are also now using robots and computer navigation for certain orthopedic cases, mostly joint replacements and spine surgery. I see this field expanding in the next 20 years. Orthopedic implants also continue to develop and change on an almost yearly basis.

What advice would you give a student who is considering a residency in your specialty?

Orthopedics is a team sport. It takes an entire team to care for most of these patients. And having an interest in anatomy, physics, and engineering is a must for orthopedic surgeons. And there are so many different subspecialties that continue to advance in technology, it is an exciting future for orthopedics. To succeed in residency, students should have an excellent work ethic, enjoy and excel at working with a team, and enjoy surgical care for patients.