Online CME: Orthopedic Surgery
Last Updated May 22, 2009.

Special Notice!! Looking for reviewers to help keep the List up-to-date.

The sites described on this page are primarily concerned with orthopedic surgery. You will find additional online CME sites and courses with orthopedic surgery content at the main online CME site.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Orthopedic Knowledge Online (OKO)

I have classified the available CME into two sections: OKO and Self-Assessment.

  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Orthopedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
    Last visited...2/2009.
    Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
    Credit hours...The OKO section contains about 69 courses offering a total of about 142 hours.
    Awarded by....AAOS.
    Cost...........About $10 per hour for residents, $15 per hour for AAOS members, and $25 per hour for non-members.
    Instruction Type....(Probably) Slide-Audio Lectures, Slide-Video Lectures and Case-Based Interactive.
    Target Audience...ORTHO.
    Educational material last updated....2008.
    Financial support...None Stated.

The AAOS OKO section has a large selection of topics for orthopedists. Some subject areas are: Adult, Foot, Hand, Oncology, Pain, Peds, Practice, Shoulder, Spine, Sports and Trauma.

Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, 3rd Edition and Essentials of Musculoskeletal Imaging consists of six modules: 
Musculoskeletal Physical Examination; General Musculoskeletal Problems in Children; General Diagnostic Testing and Image Review of the Musculoskeletal System; Common Fractures and Dislocations; Common Degenerative Problems of the Musculoskeletal System; and Musculoskeletal Problems in Sports Medicine. 

Cleveland Clinic: Reaching New Heights: Preventing Venous Thromboembolism  Throughout the Continuum of Care  
Last visited...2/2009.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD
Credit hours...About 3 hours.
Awarded by....Cleveland Clinic.
Cost..........Free.
Instruct. Type...Slide-Video Lecture, Podcast.
Target Audiences...ONCO, ORTHO, HEMA.
Educational material last updated....2008.
Financial Support...sanofi aventis.

This activity focuses on clinical practices for Venous Thromboembolism ( VTE) prophylaxis in the medical, cancer and orthopedic patient. For each type of patient you will find a didactic presentation, a case presentation and a panel discussion.

Medscape Orthopaedics
Last visited...5/2008.
Reviewed by Janice Flahiff, Medical Librarian.
Credit hours...Varies from time to time.
Awarded by....Medscape and many other sponsoring organizations.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type...Text-and-Graphics, Text-Only, Slide-Audio Lecture, Slide-Video Lecture and Case-Based-Interactive.
Target Audiences....ORTHO.
Educational material last updated...New activities posted frequently.
Financial Support...Many academic, specialty, and commercial sources as well as WebMD.
Expiration of CME Credit...Credit for most activities expires one year after posting.

CME activities of special interest to orthopedic surgeons. Medscape contains a variety of educational formats:
CONFERENCE COVERAGE - Reports of  advances presented at major medical conferences; typically includes several tracks with news stories, expert interviews, and in-depth topic overviews.
CLINICAL UPDATE - Comprehensive original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.
FAST TRACK CLINICAL UPDATE – Narrowly focused original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.
CME-LIVE - Real-time online events with streaming video, synchronized visuals, and interactive questions and answers; archived for 1 year.
NEWS-CME - Daily reports of major current medical research articles; 0.25 credits each
JOURNAL CME - Articles selected from a wide selection of conference reports and peer-reviewed journals, including MedscapeGeneralMedicine (MedGenMed).
SPECIAL REPORT CME – Topic-based monthly email newsletter distributed to Medscape’s professional member database by specialty.
INTERACTIVE PATIENT CASES – Original CME activity presented to the physician in an interactive, clinical case-based format. 
CME CIRCLE – Multimedia content certified by other accredited professional education providers, typically from live symposia or monographs, and then posted on Medscape and archived for one year.

National Osteoporosis Foundation Continuing Medical Education Opportunities
Last Visited...5/2008.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD
Credit hours... 6 activities offering a total of 10 CME credits. 
Awarded by...National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Cost for Credit...$10/activity (activities offering between 1.5 and 2.5 credits each).
Instruction Type....Text-only (pdf).
Target Audience...FP, IM, ORTHO, ENDO.
Educational material last updated....2009.
Financial Support...None Stated.

The "Osteoporosis: Clinical Updates" area contains a number of PDF newsletters; only 6 offer credit: Compliance and Persistence with Osteoporosis Therapies (1.5 credits); Update on Bisphosphonates FDA-Approved for Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis (1.5 credits); Parathyroid Hormone: Anabolic Therapy for Osteoporosis (1.5 credits); Bariatric Surgery & Osteoporosis (1.5 credits); Bone Quality & Osteoporotic Fracture (1.5 credits); and Implications of Breast and Prostate Cancer on Bone Health (2.5 credits).

OR-Live Surgical Video Archives
Last visited...6/2008.
Credit hours...58 activities; most offer 1.0 hour of credit (about 58 CME credits).
Awarded by....Various Medical Schools,
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type....Slide-Video with Streaming Video clips. Also available as video podcasts which can be saved to computer or iPod (requires additional software).
Target Audience....Multiple Surgical Specialties.
Educational material last updated....2008.
Financial Support...Various commercial supporters.

A set of very nice programs of surgical procedures. Each program combines a didactic slide-video lecture with extensive footage of the surgical procedure. Subject areas include: Cardiovascular or Cardiothoracic, Gastric Surgery, Neurosurgery, OB/GYN, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Orthopedic, Pediatrics, Pulmonology, Radiology, Urology and Vascular. It is now easier to find the presentations that offer CME credit: after registration and login, click on the "ORcme" graphic, right upper part of the home page.

Orthopedics Hyperguide
Last visited...12/08
Reviewed By...Janice Flahiff, Medical Librarian.
Credit hours...Up to 50 hours per year.
Awarded by....Vindico Medical Education.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type....Slide-Audio Lectures, Podcasts, Videos, Text-and-Graphics, Question-and-Answer.
Target Audience....ORTHO.
Educational material last updated....2008.
Financial Support...Stryker. 

This site contains tutorials, online lectures, and test questions in: Adult Orthopedics, Basic Science, Foot and Ankle, Hand, Pediatric Orthopedics, Spine, Sports Medicine, Trauma, and Tumor. Tutorials focus on clinical and radiographic features, diagnosis, risk factors, evaluation, treatment, and outcomes. Tutorials give access to clinical photographs, radiographs, and magnetic resonance images. Online lectures simulate the lecture experience. Test questions serve as practice for board exams or recertification.

Orthopedics Supersite
Last visited...5/2009.
Reviewed By...Bernard Sklar, MD
Credit hours...12 activities, offering 1 credit each.
Cost...........Free to paid subscribers of the journal, Orthopedics; $15/credit for nonsubscribers.
Awarded by....SLACK Incorporated.
Instruction Type....Text-and-Graphics.
Target Audience....ORTHO.
Educational material last updated....2008.
Financial Support...Stryker..

The CME articles are the same as those found in the print journal, Orthopedics. Recent articles include: Tumors of the Sacrum; Lateral Epicondylitis; Meniscal Repair of the Knee; Outcome and Complications of Constrained Acetabular Components; Apophyseal Avulsion Fractures of the Hip and Pelvis; and Acute Acromioclavicular Injuries in Adults. 

Return to the Annotated List of Online CME (All Specialties)

This list was compiled by Bernard M. Sklar, MD, MS.


Many of the reviews at the Orthopedics page were written  by Janice Flahiff, Medical Librarian.