Financial Literacy: An Essential Skill for Modern Orthopedic Surgeons, suggests study

Orthopedic surgeons operate in a demanding environment that involves not only clinical and surgical expertise but also a high degree of financial responsibility. Whether managing their private practice, funding continuing medical education (CME), or making lifestyle-related transactions, surgeons routinely engage with a broad spectrum of financial tools – one of the most prominent being credit cards. Despite their widespread use, the financial behavior of orthopedic surgeons, particularly related to credit card usage, has received little academic attention. Surgeons often utilize credit cards for major expenses such as surgical equipment purchases, conference registrations, medical indemnity premiums, and international travel.

In addition, features such as EMI conversion, high-value reward points, and lounge access make credit cards attractive for professionals with demanding travel and expenditure patterns. However, this convenience comes with the risk of poor financial discipline, unanticipated debt, exposure to fraud, and tax misreporting, especially when personal and professional expenses are not clearly separated.

A growing number of surgeons – especially early-career professionals – are turning to credit cards for liquidity, but many do so without fully understanding their terms and long-term implications. Issues such as overspending, missed payment penalties, hidden fees, and difficulty in claiming professional deductions during tax filing often arise due to a lack of financial literacy.

On the other hand, those who are strategic in their usage benefit from efficient cash flow management, professional expense tracking, and tax optimization.

Sachin Kale et al has written a review article in ‘Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports’ to explore these dual aspects – the advantages and disadvantages of credit card usage among orthopedic surgeons – providing practical insights into how such financial tools can either empower or encumber practitioners in the absence of proper planning. Credit cards have the potential to serve as powerful allies in the financial ecosystem of an orthopedic surgeon. Their advantages are numerous: improved liquidity, streamlined professional spending, valuable reward redemptions, and enhanced control over travel and lifestyle expenses. Surgeons who are diligent in managing their credit utilization can use cards to their advantage – whether for optimizing CME travel, managing EMI-based purchases, or building a strong credit profile for larger business loans (such as for setting up a clinic or buying equipment).

However, these benefits are not without risks. Surgeons who lack structured financial knowledge may fall prey to debt cycles, increased financial anxiety, fraudulent transactions, and difficulty in reconciling expenses during tax filing. Unmonitored usage, card sharing within clinics, and failure to distinguish personal and professional expenses can also lead to accounting errors and legal complications.

Therefore, financial education, particularly about credit usage, should be integrated into medical training and professional workshops. Surgeons, just like they follow protocols in the operating room, must adopt disciplined financial protocols to ensure that tools such as credit cards contribute positively to their career, rather than becoming liabilities.

The authors commented – “With rising practice costs, conference travel, and increasing digital payments, orthopedic surgeons must be educated not just in biomechanics and surgical precision – but also in basic financial literacy. Just as surgical tools require training and control, so does the use of credit cards in professional life.”

For further details on the article refer to:

Kale S, Bijlani N, Gehlot O, Shyam A. Use of Credit Cards by Orthopedic Surgeons: Evaluating the Pros and Cons. Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports 2025 November, 15(11): 3-6.