Melih Atalay, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident
Ankara City Hospital
Ankara, Türkiye
Member Since: 2024
How has the AAOS helped you throughout your career?
AAOS has helped me better understand not only the clinical and surgical aspects of orthopaedics, but also the professional and business side of the field. The webinars especially have broadened my perspective on career development.
As an International Resident Member, which AAOS resources do you use most and why?
I primarily use the AAOS Orthopaedic Video Theater. I think it is valuable when I am preparing for a procedure that I will be performing or scrubbing in on for the first time.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
My mentor once told me, “If you are planning to be in exactly the same place as you are today ten years from now, you are doing something wrong.” That advice has stayed with me because it reminds me to keep learning, improving, and aiming higher.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
I find that I am most productive at night, when there are fewer distractions. Whether I am preparing for a case or working on something urgent, the quiet environment helps me concentrate more.
What’s one thing you’re currently trying to make a habit?
I am currently trying to reduce my screen time while experimenting with alternative learning methods. In particular, I am exploring how study techniques such as gamification can make learning both more effective and enjoyable.
What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time?
I enjoy traveling, drone photography, and snowboarding. I also like combining these interests. I have a collection of drone footage from the different countries I have visited.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know.
Choosing medicine was actually a last-minute decision while I was applying to universities, and many of my high school friends were genuinely surprised when I told them. Interestingly, once I entered medical school, I set my sights on orthopaedic surgery during my first year and never changed my mind.