Extract
We have enjoyed tremendous improvement in the quality of postgraduate education in orthopaedic surgery over the last three to four decades. This improvement has been an absolute necessity, given the rapid and complex technological and therapeutic expansion of our specialty. Gone are the days of the autocratic chief who hired and fired individuals on the basis of a personal whim and unwritten (and frequently unspoken) rules. As the role of our Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee has expanded within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), we have seen huge improvements in the processes that are used for interviewing and selecting resident candidates; in the methods that are used to provide residents with comprehensive didactic education through the application of core curricula; in the implementation of regular, transparent two-way evaluations of residents and educators alike; and in the counseling and educational processes that are used when the performance of residents and faculty is lacking. Although our specialty had grave concerns regarding the ACGME-implemented eighty-hour workweek, most educators believe (and the data support) that this change has benefited resident education and quality of life.