What Is AAOS and What Can You Access on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Website?

AAOS stands for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a professional society that represents orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals. Its website, aaos.org, is an education and information hub rather than a hospital, clinic, or insurance provider. You can use it to find continuing medical education (CME) courses, journals and podcasts, clinical practice guidelines, exam preparation tools, career resources, and patient-facing education through OrthoInfo. Access depends on whether you are a member, a subscriber, or a general visitor.

What AAOS Is — and What It Is Not

AAOS describes itself as providing education programs for orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, championing high-quality musculoskeletal care, and serving as an authoritative source of information on bone and joint conditions and treatments.

That means:

• It is a professional academy. Its core audience is orthopaedic surgeons, residents, and related professionals.
• It is not a care provider. You cannot book an appointment or receive treatment through the site.
• It is not an insurer or payer. The site publishes resources about payment policy and advocacy, but it does not administer coverage.

Main Entry Points on the Website

The homepage organizes resources around a "Quick Access" panel and featured sections. The table below maps common goals to the section named on the site.

For Members and Professionals: Education, Journals, and Exams

CME Courses and Webinars

The site's "What Will You Master Next?" section points to AAOS courses, webinars, and OnDemand CME. Listed examples include a virtual course on building an efficient outpatient total joint arthroplasty center (Oct. 19 and 21), a resident education webinar on robotics, AI, and arthroplasty training (Oct. 27), and a workers' compensation and musculoskeletal injuries course combined with a half-day expert witness course (Nov. 5–7). These listings show the format — virtual sessions and multi-day courses — and the intended professional audience.

Journals, Podcasts, and News

• JAAOS is the academy's journal; a listed October 15, 2026 issue covers fluoroscopy in direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty.
• AAOS Now carries academy news and features.
• The Bone Beat podcast channel includes episodes such as one on musculoskeletal occupational injuries in orthopaedic surgeons.

Exam Preparation and Residency Resources

The Examination Center & ResStudy supports exam review, and the site notes ROCK as a tool for last-minute OITE (Orthopaedic In-Training Examination) preparation. A separate item announces AAOS Launchpad, a free 20-month career development program for PGY5 residents who apply.

Clinical and Registry Resources

Clinical Practice Guidelines, a Biologics Dashboard, and the Shoulder & Elbow Registry annual report are listed as professional resources. These are reference and quality-improvement materials, not patient treatment recommendations for an individual case.

For Patients: OrthoInfo

OrthoInfo is the academy's patient education section, linked directly from Quick Access. It is the appropriate destination if you are a patient or family member looking for plain-language information on bone and joint conditions and treatments. General visitors should expect educational articles rather than personalized medical advice.

Membership, Subscriptions, and What May Be Gated

The site distinguishes member services from other content:

• Membership has its own renewal flow through the AAOS Membership App, and member perks are promoted through the Member Advantage Program (for example, rental car discounts).
• AAOS Access Plus is marketed as "One Subscription. Limitless Learning. Unlock 200+ orthopaedic…" with a subscription detail page on the AAOS online store. This indicates that at least some learning content is sold as a subscription product.
• Free and open items visible on the public homepage include news items, podcast listings, event announcements, and links to OrthoInfo.

The available material does not state prices or specify which individual resources require login, so treat subscription and member-only access as something to confirm on the relevant store or login page rather than assuming any content is free.

Practical Tips for Navigating the Site

1. Start with Quick Access if you already know your task (CME transcript, JAAOS, ResStudy). It is the shortest path to member tools.
2. Use OrthoInfo for patient questions and Clinical Practice Guidelines for professional reference — they serve different audiences.
3. Check the Orthopaedic Calendar before planning to attend a course or webinar, since listings include specific dates and virtual formats.
4. Expect a membership or subscription step for learning products such as Access Plus; verify terms on the store page before purchasing.
5. Watch the advocacy section if you follow payment policy; the homepage highlights a CMS payment resource center and calls for member action on proposed Medicare payment cuts.

In short, aaos.org is best understood as a professional academy's portal: members and subscribers get education, journals, exam tools, and practice resources, while patients get reliable background information through OrthoInfo.