Speaker: Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS
Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS: Hello, my name is Quin Throckmorton. I'm an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and I have been for 15 years.
Why have you chosen to fill out the Member Value and Satisfaction (MVAS) survey in the past?
Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS: In the past, I've chosen to fill out the MVAS because I think it's really important for our Academy to know our membership. Without that knowledge, we don't really know what initiatives we are supposed to take to try to serve our members better. So by having that information, I think that's a valuable tool that really works for the betterment of our members, but also for our patients.
What 1 or 2 ways do you think filling out the MVAS survey makes an impact?
Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS: I think the MVAS has an impact in a couple of ways. On one side, it's an opportunity for us to identify pain points, things that aren't going well with the practice of orthopaedics or medicine in general. And it therefore gives the Academy the opportunity to try to rectify those. On the flip side it's also an opportunity to give positive feedback for programs and initiatives that are working.
How has AAOS “Heard You”, or can you provide an example of the type of feedback you have shared with AAOS in the past?
Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS: I think the best example I can think of where the Academy has heard us and turned that into an actionable plan regards the recertification process for the boards. For years, the high stakes test every 10 years was a real pain point for a lot of our members, but our membership was heard, and the Academy successfully worked with the ABOS to completely redesign and reimagine the recertification process to something that I think is now much more palatable. There's not a high stakes test every 10 years. Instead, you have the opportunity to do this web-based longitudinal assessment type tool which I have done and found to be very successful. So I think that's a good example of where the voice of the orthopaedic surgeon has really impacted the Academy.
