Residents' E-Letter Contents

Vol. 4 No. 11 - November 2006
Editors: Lee H. Riley, III, MD & James C. Farmer, MD

This Issue

News for residents:

• New Tools to Enhance Your Basic Science Knowledge
• AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course
• Two ways to get involved with AAOS!

Features:

1. Practice Tips: "EMRs bring your office into the 21st century"
2. Internet Resources: "Evidence-Based Practice Site on OKO"
3. Calendar

This Issue: News for Residents

New Tools to Enhance Your Basic Science Knowledge
The perfect combination to build your knowledge of Basic Science and prepare for upcoming exams

The all new Orthopaedic Basic Science Self-Assessment Examination and Orthopaedic Basic Science Text are the perfect tools to help you prepare for challenging patient cases and your Primary Certification.

This combination of resources will update your knowledge on the basic science of orthopaedics and will give you a more in-depth understanding of the biology and bio mechanics of the musculoskeletal system.

Together, the exam and text will help you apply various basic science principles to the treatment of orthopaedic patients, their conditions and injuries. In addition, the self-assessment examination allows you to review and assess your understanding of basic science principles and identify areas you need to study further.

Don’t miss this opportunity to challenge yourself and build your knowledge! To purchase the Orthopaedic Basic Science Self-Assessment Exam [Print Format] [CD-ROM format] and the Orthopaedic Basic Science Text simply click on the title of the product or call 1-800-626-6726!

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AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course
If you are a graduating resident preparing to take Part I of the Board Exam in July, this course is your exam study solution! Let the Academy help you prepare for the most important exam of your career. Dr. Frank J. Frassica and his carefully selected faculty guide you through the testable material you need to study, in 5 days of intensive, exam-focused review sessions.

This important review course features:
• Pre-testing to help you measure your knowledge and focus your study time
• Test questions you can answer anonymously and receive feedback
• Informal evening sessions focusing on Anatomy Essentials and Pathology Unknowns
• Tips on test-taking that sharpen your exam strategy
• Daily basic science test questions to begin each day

Topics covered include:
• Bone and soft tissue pathology
• In depth review of traumatic and non-traumatic spine disorders
• Hand review highlighting testable items
• Extensive coverage of foot and ankle topics
• Great coverage of upper and lower extremity sports medicine
• Essentials concepts and test items in lower extremity arthroplasty
• Review of all major pediatric disorders
• Unique review of testable trauma concepts in test taking type fashion
• Most comprehensive basic science review – bone, cartilage, nerve, muscle, tendon/ligament, fracture healing, osteoporosis

From the conclusion of this course to the start of the exam you will have 34 days to master the materials, tips, and strategies you learn in this course. We will arm you with additional materials to help you continue studying, including access to a special database of online self-assessment examinations, a course syllabus and twelve tutorials with test questions, and set of Basic Science lectures on CD prepared by members of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

Included with your paid registration – attendance at a pathology and basic science refresher course held in Chicago, on July 8, 2007 – one day prior to the Board Examination.

This is a popular course, so register early!
Call 1-800-626-6726 for more details or visit www.aaos.org/boardprep

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Two ways to get involved with AAOS!
Bright sunny skies, beautiful weather, miles of sandy beaches, maybe a tan line or two. We know these thoughts of San Diego and the AAOS Annual Meeting must be what’s keeping you from volunteering for the 2007 Playground Build and entering artwork into the 2007 eMotion Pictures contest. But since our Annual Meeting is still four months away, that leaves plenty of time to be part of these unique, exciting and extremely rewarding AAOS programs.

The eMotion Pictures project is open to both patients who have had an orthopaedic condition and to physicians who treat those conditions. The project’s ultimate goal is to “tell the story” of orthopaedics through the lives of these patients and doctors. You don’t have to be a professional artist to tell your story, but you have a fantastic role to play by encouraging your patients to enter their work, or entering your own work into the contest. For more information, please visit the eMotion website. http://www.aaos.org/emotion.

The AAOS Playground Build will be Tuesday, February 13, 2007. Give yourself an early Valentine’s Day gift, and volunteer for this special project to build a Safe, Accessible Playground for the children of San Diego. We promise a truly heart-warming experience. For more information, please visit the Playground Build 2007 web site.

Practice Tips

EMRs bring your office into the 21st century
They’re essential tools for securing your future income
By Stephen P. Makk, MD, MBA, and Marty Krawczyk

This is the first in a series of articles on electronic medical records (EMRs) in orthopaedic practices. Future articles will feature orthopaedic surgeons who are converting or have made the transition to an EMR office and will cover topics such as assessing your current workflow, developing a plan and timetable, selecting products and implementing an EMR system.

It is easy to see the impact computers have had on orthopaedic research and training. Simulators enable orthopaedic surgeons to perfect techniques before encountering patients in the operating room (OR). In the OR, computers monitor the patient and allow the surgeon to perform microscopic surgery. View the complete article

Stephen P. Makk, MD, MBA is chair of the AAOS Practice Management Committee. He can be reached at (502) 897-6579.
Marty Krawczyk is coordinator of the practice management group. She can be reached at (847) 384-4337.

Internet Resources

"Evidence-Based Practice Site on OKO"

Evidence-based practice is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values.

Best research evidence refers to clinically relevant research, often from the basic health and medical sciences, but especially from patient-centered clinical research into the accuracy and precision of diagnostic tests (including the clinical examination); the power of prognostic markers; and the efficacy and safety of therapeutic, rehabilitative, and preventive regimens.

Clinical expertise means the ability to use clinical skills and past experience to rapidly identify each patient's unique health state and diagnosis, individual risks and benefits of potential interventions, and personal values and expectations.

Patient values refers to the unique preferences, concerns, and expectations that each patient brings to a clinical encounter and that must be integrated into clinical decisions if they are to serve the patient

For further information visit the Evidence-Based Practice section of OKO!

Useful Resident Links

AAOS Course Calendar	AAOS Job Placement
AAOS Practice Management Website (Login Required)	AAOS Resident Website
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery	AMA Fellowship & Residency Interactive Database (FREIDA)
US Bone & Joint Decade	OITE & ABOS Preparation
OREF	Orthopaedic Knowledge Online

Calendar

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

February 14 to February 18, 2007	AAOS Annual Meeting San Diego, California
February 13, 2007	Practice Management Symposium for Orthopaedic Residents! 11:30 AM; Room 28 San Diego Convention Center
February 15, 2008	Resident Liaison Group Meeting 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM Santa Rosa Room Marriott Hotel and Marina
February 15, 2008	Resident Liaison Group Reception 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM Solana Room Marriott Hotel and Marina
February 16, 2007	Forum for Young Orthopaedic Educators 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM; Room 8 (Page 16 of the Preliminary Program Book) San Diego Convention Center
May 2 – 6, 2007	AAOS Board Preparation and Review Course Chicago, IL