The AAOS Annual Meeting is strategically designed each year to meet a variety of goals. The information below details the Academy’s primary objectives.

Global objectives

• develop and refine a perspective on the broad range of orthopaedic knowledge, care, and surgical practice
• expand and integrate an understanding of the scientific and clinical tenets of orthopaedic surgery to better prevent and treat musculoskeletal disease
• develop an understanding of economic and practice management challenges that can lead to strategies that protect continued access to care for patients and viability of the profession
• provide a forum to strengthen professional relationships and develop networks that lead to better patient care, individual surgeon career satisfaction, and a more robust profession as a whole

Instructional objectives

• facilitate a personalized educational experience through a comprehensive offering of instructional courses, symposia, and scientific presentations
• provide a forum for discussion of current issues in orthopaedics, including patient safety, advocacy, practice management, technology, and culturally competent care
• offer complementing formats to facilitate career-long education that meets the expectations and requirements of patients, colleagues, and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification
• provide a forum for the presentation of basic and clinical research that illustrates current, as well as potentially future, applications in the management of patients with musculoskeletal disease or injury

Learner objectives

• synthesize a basis for the practice of delivering evidence-based, cost-effective orthopaedic care that is both patient centered and population based
• integrate current basic science, translational research, and state-of-the-art procedures and technology into clinical practice
• provide a forum for resident education on current clinical practice, relevant basic science, practice management, and advocacy issues in preparation for careers as competent and ethical orthopaedic surgeons