When I finished residency in
1989, most of the medical world assumed that you had learned everything you
needed for a successful career in Orthopaedic Surgery. It was the ABOS (American Board of Orthopaedic
Surgery) that changed how we look at residency, such that our surgical training
was just the beginning of our learning. In
order to do this, the ABOS created a time sensitive “board certification” and
mandated the Orthopod to “recertify” every ten years to remain “legal.” I missed a life long certificate by 36
months. It turned out to be simple,
dumb, luck.
But I didn’t think that in 1989,
I thought I was unlucky. Colleagues
would be of two camps, either Pre or Post ’86.
Those in my shoes would constantly complain about the unfairness of it
all and the ‘old-timers’ would gloat over their dumb luck. Sitting through Orthopaedic meetings listen
to questions about recertification, I would hear frantic complaints of
‘unfairness’ even discussions of ‘big brother’ controlling our ability to
practice; comments which made me realize it was time to start preparing and
stop complaining (that reminds me, a future blog). Although I didn’t feel tremendously ‘advantaged,’
I simply planned on recertifying. I
became board certified in 1992 and went on to pass the computerized ‘recert’
exam in 2002 & again last year in 2012.
I also added the sports subspecialty certification (SSC, what used to be
described as a CAQ, Certificate of Added Qualification) in 2011. I found it almost addictive to prepare
properly for the recertification examinations and it became a way for me to
understand (and acknowledge) the importance of life long learning.


In June, I had dinner with
faculty and the ESSKA/AOSSM Travelling Fellows and discuss my well-worn
technique of information acquisition.
Two days later, my wife, Trish, receives a text from Michelle
Treme: “Tell Bob I fixed the electrical
problem at the house with Google”. I now
use it with everything from questions about computers, with any purchase, be it
a trip to Carbondale or Cusco, and even for background work for a surgery,
lecture, patient problem, or even how to blog.

Bob Schenck
P&C
UNM Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
P&C
UNM Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation