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As part of its strategic mission, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently created the Council on Academic Affairs. The Council's mission is to meet the needs and expectations of AAOS Fellows working in an academic practice setting as well as to address the needs of orthopaedic residents and candidate members. The Council is composed of six committees: Diversity; Candidate Members; Medical Student, Resident, and Fellow Education; Academic Advocacy; Clinician Scientist Programs; and Academic Business and Practice Management. This report will focus on the activities of the Candidate Members and the Medical Student, Resident, and Fellow Education Committees.
Candidate Members Committee
The primary mission of the Candidate Members Committee is to serve as an avenue of advocacy for orthopaedic surgeons who will become members of the AAOS. It is the entry portal for this important group of future members and leaders. The AAOS is committed to doing everything possible to help our young members by immediately giving them the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Academy. Our young members want information from the AAOS about job opportunities and about selecting a practice. They seek information and education from the AAOS about Board certification within their specialty. They want more indepth knowledge of the business side of medicine, licensing, and contract negotiations, which they may not have received in their residency programs. They have spent the last twelve to fourteen years learning how to become an orthopaedic surgeon yet very little time learning about how one does that successfully in today's complex health-care environment. The more information the AAOS can provide in a technologyfriendly (Internet) manner, the better, as this generation is far more technologically savvy than the current membership. To this end, the Resident and Candidate Member web site has been upgraded and expanded and now contains links to many AAOS activities and services, such as the Job Placement Service web link, that are of particular interest to this group.
We are forming a resident liaison council that includes one senior-level resident from every accredited orthopaedic residency program in the United States. Approval was given by the Board of Directors to have our first meeting at this year's annual meeting in New Orleans. Prior to formation of this council,...