Hey, good luck everyone! I remember my match day - 1993, it was on St. Patricks day. Actually I don't really remember much of that day... I am a Radiologist now, but back then I matched in general surgery (the Lord's providence saved me from that fate after a couple of years!)
usc goose, congrats on rads. We are a growth industry for sure and the job market has remained good for quite a few years. Reimbursement continues to decline as it will for all medical specialties. But americans are addicted to their CT and MRI scans, so demand will only go up.
As for your friend, I doubt he will find an ortho spot in the scramble, but I do remember an old friend of mine who failed to match in urology. He ended up getting a non-catagorical spot in gen surg (no guarantees beyond one year) at Barnes Hospital which is where I matched. As luck would have it, although he wasn't the most brilliant guy around, he was a hard worker and a urology spot opened by chance at Barnes and they gave it to him. Luck yes, but you never know. My advice is to try to get a gen surg spot at the most respected academic center possible. Then work your a** off and maybe luck will be on your side. At least you can get a good recommendation and try again the next year.