Taylor Loeffler, MD

Hometown: Peoria, Arizona

Hobbies & interests: Weightlifting, ice hockey, basketball, flag football, volleyball, hiking, cooking.

Why I chose MCW: I chose MCW for multitude factors. First and foremost with the supportive and collegial atmosphere that experienced. The residents were always in support of each other and always willing to help out even if it meant staying later which is important over the five years of residency. There is also no hierarchy in the program at all. The residents have the numbers of all attendings and they are always open to questions and concerns at any time. Also, I was impressed by the surgical experience and competence of the senior residents. I consistently saw the fifth-year resident performing an ORIF of a bicondylar plateau and was very confident with it. This is a testament to the operative experience that we get at MCW. Another important thing to me was a good trauma experience as this is the foundation to an orthopedic training and ours is second to none. You get to see the breadth of trauma that orthopedics has offered her from geriatric fractures to complex ballistic fractures. I feel that that would set me up in the future to be able to handle any case on call.

What MCW has to offer a candidate: MCW has a tremendous amount to offer an applicant. First, the trauma experience is a world class and you will see everything possible from a complex pelvic fractures to simple bimalleolar ankle fractures. You will quickly become comfortable managing care in the emergency department and in the operating room. Also, our VA experience exceptional as it is where most residents say you become a surgeon as you learn to think independently and take on the role as a primary surgeon. Our staff at the VA are very supportive of this tradition in allowing us to grow as surgeons. We also have the privilege to work with three orthopedic oncology surgeons that are exceptional surgeons, and we get exposed to the most complex pathology. They also have a thriving arthroplasty practice, so you get abundant experience with primary arthroplasty and complex revisions. Overall, you get the support of the orthopedic family as everyone is truly invested in the success of you as a resident and is always to help and answer questions at any time.

What I like about living in Milwaukee: Milwaukee is an awesome city and once you have lived here and explored you won't want to leave. Has every major sport and the fans are passionate like I've never seen. The tailgates at American Family Field and Lambeau Field are some of the best moments while living here. You can live in the surrounding suburbs such as Wauwatosa next to the hospital and it is only 5-10 minutes to downtown ($10 Uber). I am a huge foodie and there so many mom and pop restaurants to choose from that you won't find anywhere else. Don't sleep on the cheese curds especially at Cafe Hollander.