ARCOS From the Ground Up: How It Came To Be and Where I Am Today

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ARCOS From the Ground Up How It Came To Be
and Where I Am Today

• Association of Residency Coordinators in
  Orthopedic Surgery
• Fifth Annual Meeting
• March 7, 2008

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Agenda

• Who Am I?
• How Did We Get Here?
• ARCOS Accomplishments
• How Did We Do It?
• Residency Coordinator as a Stepping Stone
• What The Future Holds
• Final Thoughts

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Who Am I?

• Founding president of ARCOS (20022004).
• Nominated and elected in New Orleans, Louisiana,
  during the 70th Annual AAOS Conference.
• Master of business administration in health
  sector management, Boston University School of
  Management.
• Part-time program while residency coordinator.

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Who Am I? (continued)
Know what you want to be.

• Residency coordinator, department of orthopedic
  surgery, Boston Medical Center.
• Successful accreditation and increase in resident
  complement.
• Redesign of academic didactic teaching program.
• Design and construction of bioskills teaching
  facility.
• Project manager, department of orthopedic
  surgery, Brigham and Womens Hospital.
• Operational efficiency work.
• Strategic planning.
• Data analysis.
• Senior consultant, ECG Management Consultants,
  Inc.
• Healthcare consulting firm, 35 years of
  experience.
• Over 70 consultants nationwide.
• Expertise in GME, operations, and strategic
  planning.

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How Did We Get Here?
An idea is born!

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 2001.
• Fifth Annual National Center for Evaluation of
  Residency Programs (NCERP) Workshop roundtable
  discussion initiated by Frederick Meyer, M.D.
• Officially formed steering committee with six
  members.

• Steering Committee Members
• Ms. Donna Anderson, Indiana University School of
  Medicine.
• Ms. Cynthia Bastien, NYU Hospital for Joint
  Disease.
• Ms. Gail Driver, University of South Alabama.
• Ms. Kathy Flesher, University of Texas Medical
  Branch.
• Mr. Todd W. Godfrey, Boston University Medical
  Center.
• Ms. Chris Tutsch (Standish), St. Mary's Mercy
  Medical Center.

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How Did We Get Here? (continued)
Discouragement does not stop the momentum.

• Dallas, Texas February 2002.
• Low attendance, brainstorming session.
• Mr. Todd W. Godfrey.
• Ms. Norma Jean Simonsen.
• Ms. Chris Tutsch.
• Result.
• Mailing to all coordinators.
• Meet at sixth Annual NCERP Meeting in Las Vegas,
  Nevada.

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How Did We Get Here? (continued)
What happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas!

• Las Vegas, Nevada September 2002.
• Roundtable discussion during the NCERP Meeting.
• More than 60 coordinators attended.
• Affiliate with AAOS.
• New steering committee formed.
• Ms. Cynthia Bastien, NYU Hospital for Joint
  Disease.
• Ms. Gail Driver, University of South Alabama.
• Ms. Kathy Flesher, University of Texas Medical
  Branch.
• Mr. Todd W. Godfrey, Boston University Medical
  Center.
• Ms. Teri Hill, University of Texas San Antonio.
• Ms. April Melson, Orlando Regional Healthcare.
• Ms. Donna Roberts, Indiana University.
• Ms. Norma Jean Simonsen, Johns Hopkins
  University.
• Ms. Chris Tutsch, St. Mary's Mercy Medical
  Center.
• Ms. Monica Stuart, University of California, San
  Francisco.
• Mr. Lorenzo Woo, MSU/Kalamazoo Center for Medical
  Studies.

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How Did We Get Here? (continued)
We grab the coattails of AAOS!

• New Orleans February 2003.
• Over 30 coordinators attended.
• Officially elected leadership and
  members-at-large.
• Mr. Todd W. Godfrey, President.
• Mr. Lorenzo Woo, President-Elect.
• Ms. April Melson, Secretary.
• Ms. Gail Driver, Treasurer.
• Ms. Cynthia Bastien, Member-at-Large.
• Ms. Kathy Flesher, Member-at-Large.
• Ms. Ellen Greenberger, Member-at-Large.
• Ms. Teri Hill, Member-at-Large.
• Ms. Norma Jean Simonsen, Member-at-Large.
• Ms. Chris Tutsch, Member-at-Large.
• Official mission, vision, goals, and by-laws
  written.

An official organization is born!
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How Did We Get Here? (continued)
Inaugural meeting.

• San Francisco, California March 2004.
• More than 60 attendees.

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ARCOS Accomplishments
In 5 years, ARCOS has grown to 87 total members!

• ARCOS is nationally recognized by AAOS and AOA.
• An ARCOS member sits on the AAOS resident
  education committee.
• Steering committee members are invited to the AOA
  annual meeting.
• Program directors and nationally recognized
  orthopedic surgeons know what ARCOS is.
• ARCOS is heavily involved in TAGME, with 18
  certified coordinators in the first year, 9 more
  sitting this year.
• ARCOS is an active contributor, both physically
  and financially, in the AAOS playground project.
• ARCOS has participated in a nationwide study
  published in JBJS.
• ARCOS receives corporate- and industry-level
  sponsorship.
• ARCOS made donations to Louisiana residency
  programs following Katrina.

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ARCOS Accomplishments (continued)
A new Web site design.
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How Did We Do It?
Mission, vision, and goals of ARCOS.

• Mission
• To establish a group of orthopedic residency
  program coordinators recognized nationally by
  program directors and the orthopedic community,
  designed to provide a support structure enabling
  residency program coordinators to better assist
  in the graduate medical education of orthopedic
  residents.
• Vision
• The ARCOS vision is to create a nationally
  recognized association of orthopedic residency
  program coordinators, to provide an advocacy
  forum for orthopedic residency program
  coordinators, and to enhance the knowledge and
  skills of orthopedic residency program
  coordinators through the continuous exchange of
  ideas and information.
• Goals
• The current goals of ARCOS include introducing
  the existence of ARCOS to all orthopedic
  residency programs, including subspecialties.
  ARCOS aims to achieve 100 participation among
  all orthopedic residency programs at the ARCOS
  Annual Meeting during the 2004 AAOS Annual
  Meeting. The publication of a newsletter and
  creation of a Web site is essential to promote
  the existence of ARCOS. ARCOS would also like to
  seek the recognition and support of a parent
  organization.

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How Did We Do It?Contributing Factors to the
Success of ARCOS
The leaders who work most effectively, it seems
to me, never say I. And that's not because
they have trained themselves not to say I.
They don't think I. They think we they
think team. They understand their job to be to
make the team function. They accept
responsibility and don't sidestep it, but we
gets the credit. This is what creates trust,
what enables you to get the task done. - Peter
Drucker

• High level of commitment from the founding
  members.
• A common goal with a team focus.
• Strong leadership skills from the founding
  members.
• Support and encouragement from AAOS and program
  directors.
• Perseverance and determination.
• Drive and ambition.

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Residency Coordinator Position as a Stepping
Stone
Remember, you are more than just an
administrative assistant.

• Be responsible.
• Remember the big picture.
• You are part of training orthopedic surgeons.
• A coordinator can be more than a job, it can be a
  career.
• Be a leader.
• Get involved.
• ARCOS.
• ACGME workshops.
• GMEC meetings.
• Network.
• DIO.
• Other program directors at your institution.
• Senior management.

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What the Future Holds
You can continue to coordinate or you can manage.

• Look for employment opportunities in bigger
  programs or within your institutional GME office.
• Advocate for yourself.
• Upgrade your job description and title.
• Become TAGME-certified.
• Get a degree (undergraduate or graduate).
• Become an expert at your institution.
• Network.

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What the Future Holds (continued)
You are the future of ARCOS.

• Become involved.
• Sit on the steering committee.
• Help plan the annual meeting.
• Coordinate a national study, sponsored by ARCOS.
• Volunteer for the playground project.

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What the Future Holds (continued)
ARCOS is here to stay.

• Five years strong.
• Eighty-seven members.
• Still more coordinators out there.
• AAOS, AOA, ACGME recognition and sponsorship.
• Industry sponsorship.

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Final Thoughts

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