Residents' E-Letter Contents

Vol. 4, No. 1. January 2006
Editors: Lee H. Riley, III, MD & James C. Farmer, MD

This Issue

News for residents:

• AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course
• Introducing four new special interest exams for 2006
• Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California to host the Association of Children's Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics’ Annual Meeting

Features

1. Clinical Topic: "Posterior Cruciate Ligament Knee Injuries: Principles of Evaluation and Management" NEW - Test Yourself on the Clinical Topic
2. Practice Tips: "Physician Employment Contracts"
3. Internet Resources: "AAOS Annual Meeting - Educational Opportunities for residents"
4. Calendar

 

This Issue: News for Residents

AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course - May 31- June 4, 2006 • Chicago, IL
If you are about to sit for the Board Exam, the Academy is here to help with the best preparation available for this most important exam of your career. Dr. Frank J. Frassica and his carefully selected team of orthopaedic surgeons will guide you through the testable material you need to study, in 5 days of intensive, exam-focused review sessions. In addition to in-depth lectures, this important AAOS course features:

 

• A pre-test to help you measure your knowledge and areas of study
• Test questions you answer anonymously for instant feedback through our Audience Response System
• Informal evening question and answer sessions that give you more time with faculty to study the nuances of orthopaedics
• Tips on test-taking that sharpen your exam strategy
• Special sessions for second-time test-takers

 

After-the-course Extras

• Your paid registration includes free attendance at a pathology and basic science refresher course held one day prior to the Board Exam, in Chicago, on July 24, 2005
• Additional testing materials and resources are included in your complete course syllabus
• After-the-course, lectures and study materials are sent to you at regular intervals, up until the Board Exam

Note: Chart percentages represent an approximation of the course content on the Board Exam.

 

Registration is open!
Call 1-800-626-6726 or visit the course site online

 

Introducing four new special interest exams for 2006

Evaluate your knowledge and be prepared for clinical decision-making and certification with the new self-assessment special interest exams. The new exams include: Adult Spine, Foot and Ankle, Musculoskeletal Trauma, and Orthopaedic Basic Science. Each exam features 100 multiple choice questions and offers immediate feedback, discussion, and references for continued study.

Buy the exams individually, at the special resident price of $60 each. Or, take advantage of the package deal and save $40! You'll receive three exams (Adult Spine, Foot and Ankle, and Musculoskeletal Trauma) at the special resident price of only $140.

Visit the online catalog or call 1-800-626-6726.

 

Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California to host the Association of Children's Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics’ Annual Meeting
May 17-20, 2006, Hyatt Regency Sacramento, CA

** Orthopaedics & Spinal Cord Injury
Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California is the flagship of the Shriners 22-hospital pediatric healthcare system. The Shriners pediatric medical complex includes facilities for treatment, teaching, and research and provides medical care in orthopaedics, spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation, and emergent burn treatment & rehabilitation.

Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California performs more than 1,000 orthopaedic surgeries each year and provides high-quality orthopaedic care to thousands of children each year through outpatient services. Certified staff make upwards of 300 custom-designed braces and prostheses each month in the Orthotics and Prosthetics Lab. The Orthopaedic staff includes Michelle James, M.D., Assistant Chief of Staff, who is an international expert in the care of children with brachial plexus birth palsy. She will direct a symposium on the orthopaedic, rehabilitative, and orthotic care of the child with brachial plexus palsy.

Craig McDonald, M.D. leads the Spinal Cord Injury service at the Sacramento hospital. He will head a symposium on the care of the spinal cord injured patient, which should complement the presentation by the Hector Kay Lecturer, Randall Betz, M.D., Philadelphia Shriners Hospital, who will present state of the art advances in spinal cord injury care.

** Emergent & Urgent Burn Care
David Greenhalgh, M.D., chief of burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California and the University of California, Davis, came to Sacramento in 1997 to launch the Shriners new pediatric burn center. He has overseen the steady growth of the burn program at Shriners, which ranks as the busiest pediatric burn center in the state. As an expert in the field, he will chair a presentation on contracture prevention and management from the surgical, orthotic, and rehabilitative perspectives.

The team at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California looks forward to what promises to be a strong educational meeting! See you there! Visit the ACPOC web site for more information.

 

Clinical Topic

The clinical topic articles provide a précis dealing with a clinical orthopaedic topic. The purpose is to provide basic information on the topic and stimulate your interest in researching other sources on this issue either through the references cited or Orthopaedic Knowledge Online, etc. Click here to view prior clinical topics.

"Posterior Cruciate Ligament Knee Injuries: Principles of Evaluation and Management"
by LTC Daniel W. White, MD & LTC Bradley J. Nelson, MD; Keller Army Community Hospital; West Point, NY

The current knowledge of the evaluation and treatment of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries lags behind that of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. PCL injuries are less common, more variable in their presentation, and more difficult to surgically manage. The understanding of the anatomy, function, and long-term outcome of injuries to the PCL is still evolving. New information regarding the indications for surgical management and the most effective surgical technique is available. Nonetheless, controversy still exists with regards to the optimal management of PCL injuries. View the complete article.

 

NEW - Test Yourself on the Clinical Topic
1. A 22-year-old professional football player sustains a blow to his anterior tibia. Physical examination shows a negative Lachman’s, 2+ posterior drawer, and no instability to varus or valgus stress 0° or 30° of flexion. There is no increase in external rotation at 30°.

What is the most appropriate treatment?
A Physical therapy and delayed PCL reconstruction.
B Physical therapy focusing on hamstring strengthening and nonsurgical treatment
C Immediate PCL reconstruction.
D Physical therapy focusing on quadriceps strengthening and nonsurgical treatment.
E Arthroscopic débridement.


2. A 35-year-old runner sustained a PCL injury 15 years ago, which was treated nonsurgically. The athlete now presents with knee pain.

Where in the knee would you most likely find degenerative changes?
A Patellofemoral and medial compartments
B Medial compartment
C Lateral compartment
D Patellofemoral and lateral compartments
E Medial and lateral compartments

Answers to be provided next month

 

Practice Tips

Physician Employment Contracts

When you join a practice as an employee, you must clearly establish your duties and responsibilities and the obligations of the practice to you. Without clear written agreement, you and the other members of the practice may find that your expectations of each other are not being met. More about physician employment contracts. (The Practice Management Center is a password-protected area requiring you to enter your last name and your Academy ID number). After you enter the site; click on Practice Transition; then scroll down and click on "Understand Physician Employment Contracts."

 

Internet Resources

AAOS 2006 Annual Meeting March 22 to 26, 2006 Chicago, Illinois

Opportunities for Orthopaedic Residents

Take advantage of a discounted fee structure for Instructional Course Lectures Two or three hour Instructional Courses are only $25 - a savings of up per course

You will also enjoy a discount on the Orthopaedic Review Course Advance registration: $85; on-site $125

Benefit from practical information on the legal and business aspects of orthopaedics Practice Management Symposium for Orthopaedic Residents Registration for this symposium is FREE to U.S. Residents Tuesday, March 21, 2006; Noon to 5:30 PM (Attention Nonmember U.S. Residents: Your advance registration fee for the AAOS 2006 Annual Meeting is $100. However, if you sign up for this free Practice Management Symposium, your registration for he Annual Meeting will also be free)

Prepare yourself for the many opportunities and potential obstacles that lie ahead. Key Issues in Choosing and Starting Your Orthopaedic Practice: There is life After Residency(Instructional Course 108) Wednesday, March 22, 8:00 - 10:00 AM Registration fee for U. S. Residents: $25

Click here to see the complete Preliminary Program

 

Calendar

For a complete listing of AAOS sponsored CME Courses: AAOS CME Course Calendar

March 1, 2006	ABOS Part I Applications Due (with $875 application fee)
March 21, 2006	6th Annual Practice Management Symposium for Orthopaedic Residents 12:00 Noon until 5:30 PM McCormick Place Chicago, Illinois
March 22 - 26, 2006	AAOS Annual Meeting McCormick Place Chicago, IL
March 31, 2006	ABOS Part I Late Application Deadline (submit $875 application fee plus $250 late fee)
May, 2006	ABOS Part I Candidates Receive Notification of Admission and Admission Cards
May 5 - 6, 2006	OTA Residents Fracture Update Course An Intensive 2-Day Symposium for Residents Atlanta (Buckhead), Georgia
May 17-20, 2006	Orthopaedics, Spinal Cord Injury, Emergent & Urgent Burn Care Association of Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics’ Annual Meeting Hyatt Regency Sacramento, CA Hosted by the Sacramento Shriners Hospital for Children
May 31- June 4, 2006	AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course Chicago Downtown Marriott Chicago, IL
July 24, 2006	ABOS Part I EXAMINATION Location: Riverside Center/Hyatt Regency Chicago, Illinois