Extract
The third annual American Orthopaedic Association-Orthopaedic Research and
Education Foundation (AOA-OREF)-Zimmer Resident Leadership Forum was held in
June 2005, coinciding with the 118th Annual Meeting of the AOA. Its general
purpose was to bring together selected young resident leaders from North
America to develop leadership skills in orthopaedics. The effectiveness of
orthopaedic education has been questioned with the advent of the eighty-hour
workweek and the ever-emerging importance of residency accreditation. The
focus of the 2005 Resident Leadership Forum was how best to train competent
orthopaedists for general orthopaedic practice. The AOA leadership focused the
Resident Leadership Forum on four potential strategies to improve resident
education: (1) maintain the current residency system (i.e., the status quo),
(2) shorten the current training system, (3) lengthen the current training
system, and (4) restructure an orthopaedic-specific core competency system.
After analyzing each strategy independently, the residents came to a consensus
and provided specific resolutions to improve resident education. The present
article represents their opinions and not necessarily those of the AOA or
educational experts.