Frequently Asked Questions

How do I enroll my residency program in ROCK? 

All US-based ACGME-accredited programs with a new or existing ResStudy subscription have full access to ROCK for free through June 30, 2024. 

New for program year 2024-25, save $139 on ROCK when you bundle it with ResStudy and OITE - and gain the full power of all three orthopaedic residency tools. 

ROCK is also available to residency programs at full price as a standalone subscription. To get started, contact us at rock@aaos.org.

To get started, or to renew your current subscription, contact AAOS customer service at 800-626-6726.

How can I access ROCK?

Residents and program directors can sign in at ROCK.aaos.org using your AAOS member login credentials.

How do I get started?

ROCK is an intuitive, user-friendly platform, designed for ease of use. Program directors and coordinators are invited to schedule an onboarding session by contacting us at ROCK@aaos.org. Residents can begin using ROCK content right away— even if their residency program has not yet incorporated it into their course of study. And the educational content for ROCK is always free to residents!

My residency program is subscribed to ResStudy. Why do we need ROCK?

ROCK and ResStudy are two unique programs that serve complementary purposes in your residents’ training.

ROCK is a comprehensive, standardized course of study that covers essential topics in orthopaedic surgery. It is designed to ensure that residents have a strong foundation in the core knowledge required for orthopaedic practice. It also provides a framework for program directors to evaluate their residents' progress throughout their residency training.

ResStudy is an online quiz bank that provides a vast library of 3500 practice questions. It is a self-directed study tool designed to prepare residents for their exams.

By leveraging both resources, your residents will benefit from the standardized, comprehensive curriculum provided by ROCK and be prepared for the OITE with the resources available through ResStudy.

What are the key objectives of ROCK?

ROCK engages learners with critical content in all anatomical and subspecialty areas in line with the OITE and ABOS Part I Exam to ensure standards are met to mastery.

• Provide a framework for identifying struggling learners early on and assist them through remediation with additional study materials
• Improve resident access to non-core content (specialty areas) that supports in-depth education in subspecialty areas
• Provide residents with learning experiences that elevate confidence and foster success
• Monitor and assess each resident’s progress for the purpose of improving resident achievement

What types of resources are included within the curriculum?

More than 700 authors who are leaders in the field of orthopaedics have contributed content across 545 chapters, supplemented by multimedia resources including:

• 1000+ full-text book chapters
• 1000+ full-text journal articles
• 800+ videos
• 1,500+ surgical images, radiographs, cases, and illustrations
• 3,400+ pre- and post-test questions

How is the content formatted?

This educational product identifies a baseline for education and establishes a core knowledge base for orthopaedic residency training, both clinical and surgical. In addition to following the ABOS Part I blueprint, the content is comprehensive, providing bullet points for quick study and expandable content for more in-depth learning. It also includes videos, photos, full-text articles, and expert-curated lists of recommended readings per topic. Additional resources linked throughout the content offer added learning opportunities and allow the resident to expand their knowledge of the content.

Can I customize the content to fit my own program’s needs?

Program directors and coordinators can create and assign custom assignments to residents and view reports that track which residents received and accessed the assignments along with status and progress reports. Programs are able to align the curriculum content with their own calendars and sequence topics according to their schedules. The content can be incorporated at the depth and timing appropriate to achieve program wide or individual learner’s goals. Existing curriculum resources can be seamlessly integrated, and analytics will provide data on resident progress and performance.

How often will the content be updated?

ROCK is updated regularly, ensuring that the most current, relevant content is offered. Ongoing engagement and feedback from users will guide enhancements and the timing of updates. Users are welcome to submit their suggestions for content updates and new topics at ROCK@aaos.org

How does ROCK benefit residents?

Residents can:

• Engage with critical, trusted, and robust content across all anatomical and specialty areas for a deeper, structured, comprehensive orthopaedic residency education including skills and techniques development
• Build their confidence in non-core subspecialty areas and dig deeper into areas of further study
• Master the right content at each stage of their residency education to build a strong foundation and be adequately prepared for the OITE and ABOS Part I Exam
• Access curriculum resources in a single, easy-access platform across devices with searchable, topic-based content
• View their OITE scores and see each question, as well as see their answer, the correct answer, a discussion, and recommended readings. PLUS, links to related ROCK chapters for each question are included.

How does ROCK benefit program directors?

Program directors can:

• Engage residents with extensive, trusted content across all anatomical and specialty areas, supporting a deeper, structured, comprehensive orthopaedic residency education, including skills and techniques
• Minimize the time spent on curriculum development and planning with a readymade course of study, accessible across devices
• Tailor the curriculum to specific program calendar and needs
• Align program education, delivery, and assessment to mitigate variation in teaching approaches and content frameworks across residency programs
• Monitor individual resident progress and identify struggling learners early on to assist them through remediation with additional assignments
• Access their program’s OITE report directly from ROCK by logging on and clicking Performance Dashboards. Users will land on the OITE welcome page and be able to view their program summary, as well as individual resident scores and performance by program year. 

Is ROCK available to residency programs outside of the US?

ROCK is available to international residency programs as a standalone subscription or in the discounted bundle. It is not currently available as an individual subscription. Interested international residency programs should contact us at ROCK@aaos.org.

For questions, comments, or assistance, please contact us at ROCK.aaos.org

For questions, comments or assistance, please contact ROCK@aaos.org