Disturbing News: Number of Orthopedic Students Declining

Driven by an aging population the demand in the U.S. for hip and knee replacements will double in the next ten years, according to researchers. Disturbingly, the number of medical students going into orthopedic and joint reconstruction is going in the other direction. It is declining.

To the rescue have come four of the leading orthopedic societies—the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), The Hip Society, The Knee Society, and The American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD). They have banded together to organize the Orthopaedic Resident Training Initiative (ORTI) to develop, organize and fund three courses in hip and knee arthroplasty for medical residents. The International Congress on Joint Reconstruction (ICJR) will manage the organization and logistics coordination for the courses.

According to PRWeb, the ORTI will engage up to 250 second and third year residents during the spring of 2014 through three inaugural courses taking place in the greater Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Philadelphia areas. Participants will receive cadaveric training in hip and knee replacement procedures and the course curriculum will be developed and delivered by faculty who are members of The Hip Society, The Knee Society, and AAHKS

“Residency is a critical part of training our future orthopaedic surgeons, but there is more we can do to ensure they begin practicing with the best hands-on experience, ” said William P. Barrett, M.D., chair for the AAHKS’s Committee on Joint Education Ventures.

“One of the core values of our organization focuses on active collaboration with other groups to help forward the practice of orthopaedics and to ultimately improve patient care, ” said Vincent D. Pellegrini, Jr., M.D., president of The Hip Society. “This is a great example of how we can work together to improve resident training.”

“The practice of orthopaedics is constantly changing, as new techniques and technologies become available. The ORTI will be another way to get residents trained and ready for improved patient care, ” added Steven J. MacDonald, M.D., FRCSC, president of The Knee Society.