Orthopedic resident education standards are constantly changing in an effort to improve education, quality of care, and patient safety. Recently, the ACGME and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) have implemented clinical “milestones” for evaluating residents’ competency based on knowledge and skill rather than postgraduate year (PGY).15,17 Education of orthopedic PGY-1 residents (interns) has evolved in the last 2 years as well, with 6 months of orthopedic rotations and surgical skills training now required.18 Additionally, the use of surgical simulation in orthopedic resident education has been rapidly increasing, particularly for arthroscopic surgery.19 Whether these recent changes improve patient care remains unclear, and future studies should address whether these changes objectively improve orthopedic surgical education, patient care, and patient safety.
Conclusions
Patients inquiring about resident involvement in their orthopedic procedure can be counseled that available evidence shows resident involvement does not hinder patient safety and does not increase complications. In the author’s opinion, academic medical centers with orthopedic residents involved in patient care may provide superior patient care and expertise in complex, challenging cases. In addition, we should strive to improve patients’ awareness of the orthopedic resident education process and the multiple recent changes designed to improve both resident education and patient care and safety.
