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Residents' Newsletter Contents

Vol. 5 No. 7 - July 2007
Editors: Jennifer M. Wolf, MD & Hassan R. Mir, MD

This Issue

News for residents:
  • Call for Resident Authors
  • Get organized….What you need to know about taking the 2008 ABOS Part 1 Examination
  • Orthopaedic Practice Management Course
  • Standing Room Only

Features:

  1. Practice Tips: Physician assistant “FAQs”
  2. Internet Resources: New Learning Opportunities on Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO) for July
  3. Calendar

This Issue: News for Residents

Call for Resident Authors
The AAOS Residents’ Newsletter is calling on orthopaedic residents to submit articles for publication. The articles will be subject to review by the editors, and then published in upcoming editions of the Residents’ Newsletter. The author will be given full credit for his/her work if it is used.

Topics should cover a broad range of issues of interest to orthopaedic residents. Some suggestions for topics include resident accomplishments in local/regional/national areas (both medical and non-medical), community service projects, interesting cases (with images/photos), work-related issues with/without solutions, study tips or ideas, job search or fellowship search tips or advice, residents’ opinions on current trends in orthopedics (medical/legal/business), etc.

Articles should be brief, and in a format easily readable in the Residents’ Newsletter. Submissions can be made at any time, but the article may be held for use in a later edition due to time/space constraints. There will be no limit to the number of articles an author may submit.

The goal is to make the AAOS Residents’ Newsletter more focused on what residents want, and to do so we will need your input. Please submit any articles or ideas/suggestions to Hassan Mir, MD; Jennifer Wolf, MD and Jeffrey Kramer, FACHE, CAE.

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Get organized….What you need to know about taking the 2008 ABOS Part 1 Examination
By Ryan M. Nunley MD

While it is only July and most PGY-5 residents are just starting to get the feel for their new role as the most senior residents in the program, the countdown has started. The 2008 Part 1 examination is less than twelve months away and it is never too soon to start getting ready. Having just taken the exam myself, I feel like I have some insight to offer those who plan to take the 2008 exam.

Although it is important to study to pass your board there are a few important factors which can make life easier if you just get organized. Please note the dates below as there are several changes to this year’s schedule of dates.

  • The 2008 exam will be administered on Friday July 18th, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago (151 E. Wacker Dr, 312-565-1234). Mark your calendars now and begin organizing a timeline to plan your studying.
  • Remember to get your application in on time…there are a handful of residents each year who forget to sign up by the deadlines. The ABOS directors do not make any exceptions to the deadlines regardless of how creative the excuse. Remember, the online registration opens December 1st and the application deadline is February 15th. If you miss the regular deadline there is a late deadline of March 15th which will cost you an additional $250. You can sign-up online at www.abos.org whicht only takes a few minutes, thus you have time to sign-up between cases in the operating room or between patients in the clinic. The application fee is $875, so make sure to budget accordingly if your program does not cover the application cost.
  • Do not forget to make your hotel reservations early. The ABOS negotiates discounted rates with the Hyatt Regency, so make your reservation early to ensure you get a room at a discounted rate.
  • Organize your study materials now when you have time. At the end of the year most residents feel overwhelmed by finishing senior research projects, graduation, logging operative cases, submitting hospital credentialing paperwork, and getting ready to move to a new city/hospital. This means less time to study and more stress. If you start to get all your study materials ready now and put them into one place you will have more time to actually study at the end of the year when things are busy.

The exam is written by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS), which is a different group of writers than those who compose the OITE and the AAOS self-assessment exams. The exam questions are written approximately two years in advance and go through several rounds of review by the committee before the final exam is completed. It is important to know that approximately 30% of the exam covers the basic sciences. I would recommend ordering a copy of the book Orthopaedic Basic Science: Foundations of Clinical Practice, 3rd Edition (edited by Drs. Einhorn, O'Keefe, Buckwalter). This book can be purchased throught the AAOS online web store.

On the day of the exam, a continental breakfast is provided in one of the hotel ballrooms before everybody is taken to the lower level room where the test is administered. You are allowed to bring a small snack and a sweater in case you get hungry or cold while taking the exam. The test is divided into two booklets, each containing approximately 160 questions. The examinees are given 3.5 hours for each booklet and there is a one hour lunch break. You will not be allowed to bring any electronic devices to the exam. If you don’t own a watch and you use your pager/cell phone to tell the time…you may want to invest in a cheap wrist watch as there are no clocks in the room to help you keep track of time during the exam.

Overall, there is a very high pass rate for first-time test takers on Part 1. Get organized now, mark your calendar with the important deadlines as they have changed from previous years, do not put off studying until the very end, and remember the basic sciences. Good luck.

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Orthopaedic Practice Management Course

The course you need to build your knowledge of practice management and prepare for your career after residency

Orthopaedic Practice Management: Building Essential Skills for a Successful Practice is the perfect course to help you learn the essential skills to manage a modern, successful, practice and position it for growth. This course is designed to give you the practical know-how to:

  • Market your practice
  • Expand patient services
  • Maximize reimbursement and generate new revenue
  • Enact practice growth strategies
  • Employ effective governance structures
  • Get the most out of your personnel
  • Implement new technologies to improve practice efficiencies
  • Understand the latest health policy issues

With the skills you learn, you’ll be able to make sense of financial statements, keep practice costs in line, increase revenue, and structure income distribution. In addition, you’ll be able to evaluate the addition of patient services to round out your practice offerings and generate new revenue.

Don’t miss this opportunity to build your knowledge and gain the skills you need to to succeed in business! Review the daily schedule or register for this course, or simply call 1-800-626-6726 and refer to Course #3119.

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Attend a surgical skills course in the comfort of your own home with "Standing Room Only"

Want to attend a course, but don’t have the time or budget? With Standing Room Only, it’s like getting a front-row seat to a surgical skills course, with the convenience and value of a DVD!

The Academy’s educational series, Standing Room Only, is based on popular orthopaedic skills courses and designed to build your clinical foundation. Each DVD-ROM program features a thoughtful selection of faculty presentations and surgical demonstrations – plus case-based panel discussions, self-assessment questions, and more!

Standing Room Only is a great way to get surgical instruction in a variety of topic areas:

The special price for residents is only $99 per title! To order or to learn more about each program, go online for more details (click on links above) or call 1-800-626-6726.

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Practice Tips

Physician assistant “FAQs”
By Carolyn Rogers

“Partnering” with other health care providers can benefit your orthopaedic practice in several ways. With more than 3,000 physician assistants (PAs) currently working in orthopaedics, many practices already benefit from the enhanced efficiency and continuity of care that PAs provide. In 2005, PAs working in orthopaedic practices conducted more than 15 million patient visits, an average of 75 a week per PA.

Read the complete article in AAOS Now

Internet Resources

New Learning Opportunities on Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
Volume 5, Number 7, July 2007

NOTE: Access to OKO is FREE to all orthopaedic residents, but it does require you to log in using your last name and password. Forgotten your password? (HINT: Unless you have personalized your password, it is the 8-digit number above your name on your JAAOS mailing label!)

Useful Resident Links

AAOS Course Calendar AAOS Job Placement
AAOS Now AAOS Practice Management Website (Login Required)
AAOS Resident Website JAAOS
OITE & ABOS Preparation Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
Postgraduate Orthopaedic Fellowships 2007 Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA)
Fellowship Program On-Line Application and Directory
OREF American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
AMA Fellowship & Residency Interactive Database (FREIDA) US Bone & Joint Decade

Calendar

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

September, 2007 2007 Part I ABOS Candidates Receive Examination Results
(the Board office does not release results by phone)

 

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