[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Erica,

Thank you for your question!

Yes, as in years past, Program Coordinators(PC) are encouraged and very welcome to attend the CORD Conference!  I will refer you to the CORD Save the Date email that was sent earlier today, and I quote:

The AOA’s Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD) is thrilled to announce a significant advancement in program development. Recognizing the immense value that Residency and Fellowship Program Coordinators bring to graduate medical education (GME), AOA/CORD is excited to launch a formal collaboration with the Association of Residency Coordinators in Orthopaedic Surgery (ARCOS).

The dates for both conferences are listed on our save the date (attached), and there is just a couple of hours between the conferences.  We are working with CORD on events that both PCs and PDs can enjoy together.

If you did not get an email from AOA’s Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors at Noon (Eastern) please email me and I will forward it to you.  llewis8@wellspan.org

Thanks again for reaching out!

~Laurel

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[Laurel Lewis]

There were many posts regarding this issue on the CORD Exchange.  Here is the last post by Dr Martin:

[Laurel Lewis]

Call To Action. 

An Update from Dr Ames and Drs Ponce and Slavin – There is still time to sign up for the important ARCOS Flourishing Index Study!!  It is all about us and could lead to very positive changes to our profession.  ~Laurel

Thank you to those of you that have signed up to explore the Flourishing Index with Stuart, Brent and I.  It was really great to see such a high early response – it would seem that this group would like some help, and we hear you.

You can still register for the Flourishing Index (FI) study. https://redcap.link/flourishingproject.  Since we were late getting off the ground you should still then get access to all the spring items.  You are welcome to contact me if you don’t!

The FI is a 12-question assessment that explores how happiness, meaning, purpose, virtue, and close social relationships impact individual well-being. Our goal is to evaluate the correlation of the Flourishing Index with other historical wellness measures in those who are essential to running orthopaedic residency programs.   That’s you…..

Best, and happy summer.  Here’s hoping the worst of the on-boarding storm is behind you.

S. Elizabeth Ames, MD
Program Director, UVM Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

Professor, UVM College of Medicine
Attending Surgeon, Division of Spine Surgery

[Laurel Lewis]

Hello, Members!

I wanted to keep your ARCOS Dues Renewal on your radar during this busy time of year!!

ARCOS dues are paid by institution; each orthopaedic coordinator within a Sponsoring Institution is covered by one $275 dues fee.  Each member will have their own account and enjoy the benefits of membership.

Login to your ARCOS account:  https://www.arcosonline.org

~Select Join/Renew on the top right
~Select “Go to my account”
~Update your Information and select “Profile” to add your photo
~Scroll down to select the Renew, Upgrade, or Update Billing box
~Select payment method – Checks musts be received by July 31, 2024, to avoid having your institutional accounts closed
~A new W-9 is attached to this post

After July 31, delinquent institutional accounts and members associated with those accounts will be deactivated.  This will require enrolling again as a new ARCOS member.

I always appreciate reminders so I hope you do, too!

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Kierstin,

You are acting just like any great coordinator would – looking out for your residents!  I remember feeling this way until I dug a little deeper and talked to my residents about this.  They explained that these are the rights of passage, and following in the footsteps of those who came before is exactly what they expected.  🙂  Do they like it?  Not all the time.  But in the end, they don’t usually don’t have regrets because they grow so much in PGY2.

Since every residency is unique, I’m hoping you’ll receive more responses so you can hear other perspectives.

PGY2 is the year that residents in our program take the most call.  It is a huge learning year for them, with senior backup, of course.  Currently, we have a 3 per year program and our PGY2s take 5-6 call nights as first call.  Also, there is a PGY4 or PGY5 assigned to that night as the backup.  They will come in or just field phone calls from the PGY2 – whatever is needed.  There is also a trauma faculty member who take call each night, as well as Sports, Joints, Hand, and Foot/Ankle faculty surgeons.  What I really appreciate about the backup residents and our faculty is that we never hear them complain about being called; it is about the patients and helping each other do what is best.

Our PGY5 Administrative Chief is in charge of the call schedule, with oversight by our PD.  They take into account rotations, post call days, vacation time, and any other administrative duties or events happening for each resident.  Yes, we do a 24-hour call on the weekends.  On a weekday call day, a resident will attend their rotation, call starts about 5PM after they take sign out from the ortho trauma team (we are Level 1 trauma).  The next day, the post call resident attends trauma sign-out and then they are on their way home for a post call day.

It is easier for me to give you call numbers by month:

• PGY5 – Backup call only, 5-6 nights
• PGY4 – Backup call (4-5) and 2 first call nights
• PGY3 – Call nights 3-4
• PGY2 – Call nights 5-6
• PGY1 – Buddy Call only, when rotations allow

I have attached the ACGME Program Requirements – Ortho (starting about pg 52) for more fun reading! 🙂

I hope this helps!

~Laurel

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[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Michelle,

Congratulations on your retirement!  You will certainly be missed by your department, residents, fellows, and your ARCOS friends!!

I don’t have a handbook but I do suggest that you look on our ARCOS website under the Resources Tab and take a look at the New Coordinator page.  There are helpful documents that you could use and update to fit your needs.  I am a big fan of the “Year in the Life of the Ortho Coordinator” which is an excel spreadsheet that you can customize and give your new coordinator the dates, months, to prep for all that they will have coming up.  It is sometimes difficult to explain what we do because we are on autopilot!

Also, make sure to add them as an ARCOS member so that they have a whole community that understands what they are going through!

Anyone else have some helpful documents for Michelle?

~Laurel

 

 

[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Kierstin,

I have attached a sample of my very humble and no frills faculty meeting agenda.  We meet every month on the third Friday, whether we need it or not!  🙂  I repeat most of the first 5-6 bullet points (Announcements change), so that the faculty are constantly reminded of those items.  We review the residents EVERY month to make sure nothing slips through the cracks between CCC meetings.

Having monthly meetings makes our PEC and CCC go much smoother and faculty seem to stay better informed.

This sample agenda changes from month to month…we don’t necessarily go over all these items each meeting, depending upon “the season.”  I melded a couple of agendas together.

Hope this helps!

~Laurel

 

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[Laurel Lewis]

Just a Reminder

As the craziness of graduations and on-boarding is happening, don’t forget to update your Institutional Membership Dues so that you don’t miss any tips and tricks, or do not have the ability to ask a questions on the ARCOS Community Forum!

“The Dues Due Date” (see what I did there? 🙂 is July 31, 2024, but don’t wait that long!!

Please contact Melissa Wheeler, ARCOS Treasurer with any questions treasurer@arcosonline.org

Best wishes during this busy season!

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

The recording of yesterday’s meeting addressing the proposed change to the ARCOS Bylaws is now available on the website.

• Select the Resources Tab
• On the drop-down menu select ARCOS Virtual Sessions
• Select ARCOS Update:  Bylaws Change Q&A

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend on such short notice to share your thoughts and ask questions.

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

Mara, can you use the link?

 

[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Rhonda and Vicky,

Thank you for your suggestions.  Dr Meyer was a wonderful advocate and mentor, and it is our hope that we make him proud of how we are keeping ARCOS standing on its own as a Not-For-Profit, National Organization and doing what is best for membership!

The ARCOS Board was approached by CORD, after CORD surveyed program directors and ARCOS membership for this collaboration to move our conferences together for fiscal and educational reasons.  It is quite a comfort to know that our program directors in CORD respect us for what we do and are excited to work with us!

We have spoken to the AAOS Housing and Meetings Leadership, and they continuously told us that we do not fall under their guidelines and that there will not be any changes for 2025.  We board members were taken aback (shocked) as well when we were told more than once, specifically, we are not recognized as an AAOS Committee, Affiliate/Alumni, or Specialty Society under their guidelines.

Another reason for moving our conference is that the AAOS monopolizes all the hotel/conference space in each city.  As a result, our conference planning is delayed, and we find ourselves struggling to secure a location at competitive rates.  The costs for ARCOS and for membership to attend conferences is also a big concern.  We want to make the conference available to as many members as possible.  Additionally, as I mentioned in my original post, we are also responding to requests from our post-conference surveys that ask for lower costs for rooms and affordable locations.

Thank you for your support of the board as we continue to work hard to make the ARCOS Conference available and educational for all our members!

For further discussion on this hot topic, several of Board of Directors have cleared their schedule so that we may have an open discussion tomorrow, Wednesday, April 17, at 1:30PM Eastern Time.  Please use this link and add the time to your calendars!  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84012379797?pwd=wZs16uIeZ3OPY47ItNWnnlReLJ4tXJ.1

Thank you and we look forward to further discussion,

~ARCOS Executive Board

• This reply was modified 7 months ago by Laurel Lewis.

[Laurel Lewis]

This is a friendly reminder to cast your vote on the proposed bylaws change and to vote for our future president-elect!!

Your participation is crucial in shaping the future of ARCOS.

 

Voting and Inquiries Deadline: This Friday, April 19, 2024 at Midnight

The link to vote for ARCOS President-Elect and to change the ARCOS Bylaws is here: https://www.arcosonline.org/vote or click the link on the ARCOS website home page.

Questions regarding the ARCOS Special Election contact Kim Reising:  kim.weingartner@uc.edu

Questions regarding the ARCOS Bylaws change and/or the ARCOS/AOA/CORD Collaboration contact Laurel Lewis:  llewis8@wellspan.org

Best,

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

Hello, Everyone!

Just a note to clear up the timeline for this collaboration with CORD.  We will NOT be having the ARCOS Conference in June!  The dates being considered are January/February to avoid the ACGME Conference.  Please feel free to contact us via email with your questions!

Questions regarding the ARCOS Special Election contact Kim Reising:  kim.weingartner@uc.edu

Questions regarding the ARCOS Bylaws change and/or the ARCOS/AOA/CORD Collaboration contact Laurel Lewis:  llewis8@wellspan.org

The link to vote for ARCOS President-Elect and to change the ARCOS Bylaws is here: https://www.arcosonline.org/vote or click the link on the ARCOS website home page.

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

Hi Ramona,

One great source for speakers and information is SpeakUp Ortho.  Check out their website https://www.speakuportho.org/

Best of luck with this initiative!

~Laurel

[Laurel Lewis]

Thanks for sharing, Cheryl!

I looked at http://www.nsama.org and the fee to join is just $45/year.  I re-cert for TAGME this year so I will be getting a membership and submitting it for reimbursement – can’t hurt to try!

Hope everyone is caught up on their emails!

~Laurel

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