Maria Schwabe, MD (left), orthopaedic surgery resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, won the Resident Orthopaedic Core Knowledge (ROCK) Award for Most Study Time. Dr. Schwabe is pictured with Courtney Dunker, MA, MS, AAOS senior education curriculum and planning manager.
Published 5/29/2025
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Jennifer Lefkowitz
A new awards program at the AAOS 2025 Annual Meeting honored residents and resident programs for their outstanding use of the Resident Orthopaedic Core Knowledge (ROCK) program and ResStudy. The awards highlighted how these tools are being used to enhance learning and support fundamental knowledge during residency. Sixteen awards were presented to individuals and programs demonstrating a strong commitment to continuous education. Some of the categories included total hours spent on ROCK and ResStudy, the number of ResStudy questions attempted, and valuable contributions to improving ROCK through functional enhancements and content ideas.
AAOS continues to evolve resident clinical education with its suite of educational resources: ROCK, ResStudy, and the AAOS Orthopaedic In-Training Examination ® (OITE). Designed to complement hands-on clinical experiences during residency, these tools help residents build and retain critical knowledge, prepare for exams, and master core competencies essential for their careers.
Maria Schwabe, MD (left), orthopaedic surgery resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, won the Resident Orthopaedic Core Knowledge (ROCK) Award for Most Study Time. Dr. Schwabe is pictured with Courtney Dunker, MA, MS, AAOS senior education curriculum and planning manager.
Michael DeRogatis, MD, MS (left), orthopaedic surgery resident at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, won the Resident Orthopaedic Core Knowledge (ROCK) Partner Award at the AAOS 2025 Annual Meeting. Dr. DeRogatis is pictured with Courtney Dunker, MA, MS, AAOS senior education curriculum and planning manager.
“AAOS educational resources are reshaping how residents learn, study, and master orthopaedic competencies,” said Andrew H. Schmidt, MD, FAAOS, chair of the AAOS Education Council. “We’re proud to honor the award winners’ academic achievements and their commitment to lifelong learning. Residency represents a period of intense learning during a time when they are deluged with information from sources of varying quality and relevance to their learning needs. These award winners demonstrate how AAOS resources greatly benefit their education and career.”
Among the 2025 honorees was Maria Schwabe, MD, a postgraduate year 5 (PGY5) resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who earned the award for most study time logged in ROCK.
“ROCK was instrumental in my preparation for the OITE,” said Dr. Schwabe. “The content is comprehensive, incredibly well organized, and authored by leaders in the field. The post-tests after each module reinforce my learning and help the knowledge stick. It’s a succinct and efficient program to fill any gaps in my clinical training.”
Dr. Schwabe also highlighted the practical value of ROCK in clinical rotations. “I match my study topics to my current rotation—like using the oncology chapter during my oncology block,” she added. “It helps me feel more prepared, both for patient care and for engaging in discussions with attendings.”
Since its launch in 2022, ROCK has continually improved, enhancing its content, usability, and breadth of topics to better serve its users. These improvements have been driven by insights gained from behavioral data, focus groups, and direct feedback. Improvements include:
- ROCK covers 11 orthopaedic subspecialties with 545 chapters and 3,400 test questions authored and reviewed by experts, utilizing the latest advancements in educational technology. All content is regularly reviewed and updated.
- Enhancements in curriculum scheduling, customization, analytics, and navigation seamlessly integrates into a resident’s daily routines and allow program directors to track residents’ progress.
One of the most active contributors to this ongoing improvement process has been Michael DeRogatis, MD, MS, a PGY4 from St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He received the ROCK Partner Award, which recognized his commitment to making ROCK even better for all users by sending feedback on ROCK content to continuously refine and improve features, functions, and content.
“ROCK delivers a consistent, comprehensive curriculum that ensures quality education across programs,” Dr. DeRogatis said. “Access to free, standardized, high-yield, and evidence-based materials has been a game-changer for building knowledge throughout our residency.”
He added that ROCK’s easily accessible references allow residents to dive deeper into primary literature—a crucial skill for case preparation and academic growth.
“When we prepare for cases, being able to quickly find and review cited studies is a tremendous asset,” Dr. DeRogatis said. “ROCK helps us learn and truly understand the foundation of best practices. Given the variability in each resident training program, it is also a good standard to adhere to. While you cannot control the difference in residency programs, having the same education materials available to residents is invaluable.”
Dr. Schwabe and Dr. DeRogatis saw improvements in their OITE scores since using ROCK and ResStudy, and both credit their engagement with ROCK as a reason for their success.
Explore and engage with ROCK
Program directors who are interested in providing ROCK for their programs can bundle all three AAOS resident education components (ROCK, ResStudy, and OITE) and save 35 percent on the price of ROCK.
ROCK supports the development of foundational knowledge across all orthopaedic subspecialties, helping residents connect real-world practice with evidence-based learning. The benefits of the program include:
- establishing a core knowledge baseline required for orthopaedic practice and aligned with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part I exam blueprint
- enabling program directors to direct and track their residents’ learning throughout their residency training
- creating customized study schedules, assigning those schedules to their residents, and subsequently tracking their residents’ progress in the performance dashboard
- enrolling teaching faculty in the program for all registered resident programs to help optimize teaching processes
AAOS always welcomes user and member input to enhance and evolve the content library. Surgeons with expertise and interest in supporting resident education are encouraged to contribute in various ways, such as writing new chapter content or assessment questions, reviewing and updating content according to new best practices or research, translating content from English into another language, and more.
To learn more about ROCK and the resident bundle or to submit an idea for content, visit aaos.org/ROCK.
Jennifer Lefkowitz is a freelance writer for AAOS Now.
ROCK and ResStudy 2024 engagement statistics
Read on for key insights into resident learning trends and platform usage:
- most viewed chapter: Biomechanics of Plates, Screws, Rods, and External Fixation
- average pageviews per month: approximately 73,000
- most popular study time: 7 to 8 p.m.
- most popular study day: Wednesday
- most popular access device: desktop computer
- postgraduate year (PGY) cohort with the most logins and users: PGY2
- user-submitted questions, comments, and suggestions addressed: 65
- updated chapters: 271