EDUCATION
Education Officer's word
Dear friends,
2018 was a year of great challenges in the agendas of education coordinated by AOSEC. An increase in practical courses which will supply the needs and support the skills of the spine surgeons in AOSpine is the great challenge.
Nevertheless, our region has implemented many changes in the education portfolio.
We began to develop the Hospital Based Courses in which practical courses in MIS with a posterior approach are performed, and it is possible to practice with simulators to which a specific pathology can be incorporated. The comments have been positive and we hope to increase this type of event.
On the other hand, the format of a Hospital Based Seminar had a great impact on different cities in our region, since it reaches many hospitals and clinics with modules that are useful for the surgeons at those centers, maintaining the AOSpine principles and the standard of quality of our courses. Growth for 2019 will be exponential in all these events.
The cadaveric courses developed in 2018 continued to be in great demand and there is an interest in different topics. We implemented videos that are presented online with the participants in preliminary courses, and thus when the event begins there is only practical activity with a smaller number of participants per specimen, which helps intensify the practical experience.
We had changes in the organization of the Continuing Education Program regarding duration and modules. This renders the experience more attractive, and in turn has served as a model to implement it at the level of AOSpine international.
The online activities that we held every month continue with major attendance in all our countries and we hope to generate topics that are increasingly attractive to our participants.
For all these constant changes in the education in our organization, it was necessary to retrain our faculties for adaptation to these course models.
We hope to count on the support, participation and feedback of each of our members, to be able to continue offering a portfolio of education that marks the difference with other spine societies.
AOSpine is focused on lifelong learning, offering inspiring and innovative educational activities and programs that can help the surgeon at every step of their career development. Based on that, the AOSpine curriculum provides continuous acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills that will aid their career progression. We combine expert face-to-face educational events with distance learning and self-directed study resources, creating a framework for the best teaching methods and techniques based on skills, learning outcomes, and surgeons’ needs.
Educational activities
We provide over 200 educational opportunities to over 13,000 spine surgeons and spine specialists worldwide per year. In Latin America we offer about 70 educational events per year. All the events are curriculum-aligned and their programs were based on the AOSpine principles, competencies and learning outcomes, which decidedly enhanced the quality of the educational offers. In Latin America, in the last ten years we had about 30,000 participants.
Hands-on training
Anatomical specimen, live tissue or simulation training courses are the highlights of our educational calendar and a great opportunity to master surgery skills. The aim is to give participants a foundation of practical skills, providing tips and tricks for everyday practice as well as for complex procedures. We organized annually around ten courses covering several pathologies with an average of 300 participants per year. These events can take place at universities, laboratories, clinics and hospitals.
Hospital Based Seminar
The Hospital Based Seminars (HBS) are low cost educational activities developed on-site at hospitals of the region, based on the AOSpine Curriculum, and case discussions. They are aimed at fellows, residents and medical staff of these hospitals. We started the HBS project in 2017 and the initiative was very well received by the region and the international community. Since then, we have run 28 events in four countries with over 600 participants. Our goal is to propagate the AOSpine principles using a pre-established model event to present AOSpine to new surgeons and referral centers. For the next year we expected over 1,000 participants.
Online Education
The best thing about online learning is that one can learn in a relaxed manner. Some of our courses and seminars are blended learning with pre and post activities. All lectures and needed material are provided via online platforms, so it is possible to easily access them from the comfort of home.
The webinars are great opportunities to experience the presence of world-renowned spine experts and discuss current important topics. During all live events participants can interact with the Faculty in real-time. The webinars are a member privilege and are available to our public via individual internet access or in auditoriums.
Regional Courses
The course brings together spinal surgeons from different countries of Latin America who share their experiences and skills with a selected group of international and local Faculty through clinical cases, lectures, and discussions. The event is a great opportunity to update knowledge while sharing experiences and interact with world-class opinion leaders on spine surgery.
Bogota 2016
Mexico City 2017
Sao Paulo 2018
Global Spine Congress
AOSpine’s annual meeting is the chance for participants to enjoy four full days of an outstanding scientific program, exchange knowledge, showcase the very latest research, innovative techniques and cutting-edge technologies in spine surgery to a worldwide audience.
2009
2011
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2018
Educational Programs
Continuing Education Program (CEP)
It is an educational program exclusively for AOSpine members. This solid and complete post-graduate program is based on the AOSpine Curriculum and is organized into two progressive levels of blended learning. During two years, the participants need to study 90 scientific topics; attend 16 synchronic meetings; answer interactive quizzes, and upload eight cases for discussion.
The program is accredited by the Brazilian National Accreditation Commission and certified by Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Argentina. From 2019 onwards, a new university will be a partner in the offer of this program: University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) which will certify the course as a post-graduate course. The program has 21 graduated participants since it began.
Faculty Development
The Faculty Development is an AO Foundation project to strengthen faculty education. It was developed with the most modern and useful tools so our Faculty can perform their activities successfully at our events. The program equips new Faculty members with the skills required to give a lecture, facilitate a small group discussion, or run a practical exercise at an AO educational event. We already have about 300 AOSpine Trained Faculty in Latin America. The program includes the following trainings:
FEP
Faculty Education Program
CEP
Chairperson Education Program
LEP
Leadership Education Program
RETT
Regional Education Teams Training
Award winners
Educator of the year
This award distinguishes a long standing and highly respected member of the AOSpine community who has demonstrated sustained and significant contribution to educational excellence. The Review Committee is formed by the current AOSpine Education Commission Chairperson, the Chairperson Elect, and the previous year’s winner. The committee scores the nominees on their contribution to AOSpine education and their passion for surgeon education as well as for their ambassadorial role within the community. In the last five years, Latin Americans have been chosen four times for the AOSpine International Educator of the Year Award. As well as internationally, the AOSpine Regional Educator of the Year Award chooses the best regional educators whom are honored by AOSpine for their leadership in educating surgeons.
The 2017 winners were:
Néstor Fiore
International Educator of the Year
