MetroHealth’s Orthopaedic Learning Center is a modern library, complete with textbooks, journals, Internet access, a multi-media presentation center and other educational materials. As part of the OLC, MetroHealth has developed a web-based system which delivers high quality, professional education materials to physicians when they need it, where they need it, and in a cost-effective manner. The website allows orthopaedic residents and fellows to access a rich and diverse collection of learning materials from any computer including those located in MetroHealth’s operating rooms, emergency department and clinics. Physicians at University Hospitals of Cleveland, the Cleveland Clinic, the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center and other area practices also have password access to the OLC website.

The OLC website is proving to be particularly instructive for medical students and residents who are often inundated with an overwhelming number of educational resources and an ever-growing body of knowledge. Our goal is to use the website to facilitate self-directed learning by providing structured objectives in all orthopaedic subspecialty areas with suggested learning materials for both the cognitive and psychomotor aspects of their education. For each objective, the OLC website provides an annotated bibliography of review articles, book chapters and journal articles. Digitized videos of surgical approaches, techniques and instrumentation are also available. To date, we have developed the core structure and educational materials to support the learning objectives for orthopaedic traumatology. Our goal is initiate the next phase of development by incorporating materials for spine surgery, hand and upper extremity surgery, and pediatric orthopaedics over the next eighteen months.

Orthopaedic Learning Center http://olc.metrohealth.org