UNMC Case Study: How Does JBJS Clinical Classroom Influence Resident OITE Scores?

JBJS Clinical Classroom (CCL) is an adaptive learning platform for residents and surgeons alike. Data from one U.S. orthopaedic residency program offer insights into CCL use among its trainees. This post comes from the JBJS CCL team.  

The orthopaedic residency program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is an avid user of the CCL adaptive learning platform. Their 25 residents have each logged from 0 to 82 total hours in the platform (773 total hours combined), so the program serves as a good case study in assessing whether time spent in CCL potentially influenced the residents’ recently released AAOS Orthopaedic In-Training Exam (OITE) scores. What the JBJS CCL team found was a positive trend: a UNMC resident who spent more time in CCL earned a higher score on the OITE (p < 0.05). Additionally, this positive trend was found not only across the entire program but also for each postgraduate year (PGY) in the program. Thus, both junior and senior-level residents appeared to benefit from using CCL to study for the OITE. 

It is important to note that CCL was not created as a test preparation study tool. Instead, the system is designed as an adaptive knowledge acquisition and maintenance tool. Other programs may not see a positive trend line such as that observed for UNMC. Nevertheless, given that the UNMC residents who spent more time in CCL achieved higher scores on the 2023 OITE, we anticipate that they will perform just as highly beyond these exams and into practice as prepared, well-rounded orthopaedic surgeons.  

We acknowledge there are many variables that this case study did not take into consideration, like other study tools used and for how long. The data merely correlated 2023 OITE test score with CCL time spent for UNMC residents. We are grateful to the UNMC residency program and director, Dr. Matthew Mormino, for their permission to share the findings. 

For more information on JBJS Clinical Classroom, including how it works and how to subscribe your residency program, please visit the Clinical Classroom site at JBJS.org. Data analysis like this is complimentary for programs who subscribe to the yearly program subscription.