Introduction <p>Surgical and orthopedic residents are tasked with teaching medical students, despite heavy clinical workloads and limited formal training. While previous literature has demonstrated positive feedback from medical students, little is known about resident surgeons’ perspectives on their teaching duties. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of surgical and orthopedic residents as clinical teachers.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among resident and resident specialist grade doctors in the surgical and orthopedic department of a single university teaching hospital. Participants with prior teaching experience were asked to complete an online survey that collected background data, experiences in clinical teaching, and opinions on clinical teaching, including perceptions and beliefs rated on a Likert scale of 1 to 5.</p> Results <p>40 residents across all training grades completed the survey. All had been taught by residents during medical school, with 65% rating those experiences as good or very good. Most residents enjoyed teaching (65%) and 47.5% expressed a desire for greater involvement in teaching. 75% believed teaching enhanced their own knowledge and learning. However, only 25% received formal teaching training and 12.5% had protected time for teaching from clinical duties. Feedback on quality of teaching was also limited (25%), and only 20% felt valued by their institution for their teaching contributions.</p> Conclusion <p>Surgical and orthopedic residents reported positive experiences and recognized the benefits of undergraduate clinical teaching, but identified barriers such as inadequate training, minimal feedback and institutional support. Institutions should address these issues to improve resident engagement in teaching.</p>