Training Programme Director is Mr Lee Longstaff
Programme Support Officer - Trudie Heron
Why choose Trauma and Orthopaedics?
Trauma and orthopaedic surgeons diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions of the musculoskeletal system. This includes bones and joints and their associated structures that enable movement - ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
T&O surgeons have the opportunity to use the latest surgical technologies including minimally invasive techniques. Another new development is computer aided navigation during surgery which enables 3D mapping of a joint. This gives the surgeon a greater degree of accuracy when making incisions.
As a trainee what can I expect from my training programme?
Our 6 year programme involves rotating around 8 separate Acute Trusts in the North East and Cumbria. We aim to cover all key topics prior to sitting the FRCS (Trauma & Orthopaedics) exam after Year 4.
As trainees start on the programme at ST3 we have specialist cadaver lab training over 4 separate days throughout the year. This programme is run by the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre and local consultant faculty, and allows early development of skills for Trauma and Orthopaedics practice.
We have developed an excellent teaching programme every Monday afternoon. This is consultant led and focused on clinical cases and patients. This is complemented by an annual MCQ/EMQ exam and a separate viva/clinical examination built to prepare our trainees for their FRCS (Trauma & Orthopaedics) intercollegiate exam. We also run a bespoke clinical and viva course for our senior trainees as they prepare for the exam.
We strongly support involvement in research. In addition we offer funded research posts for trainees on the programme who wish to perform more formal research such as an MD or PhD. These posts are awarded in open competition with other trainees on the programme. We also have an established trainee research collaborative where the trainees lead projects to produce high level, high quality research based in multiple Trusts. This collaborative has received significant funding from government and industry sources.
What our trainees say:
The variety between elective and emergency, the hands on operating and the chance to interact with patients in clinics is excellent. The opportunity to operate and make a difference to people’s quality of life is a major plus, especially as I really enjoy the practical aspects of the job. You also get to deal with all patient groups (children, adults, elderly) with a wide variety of problems which can be a diagnostic challenge.
Orthopaedics is hard work, sometimes long hours but ultimately if you want something practical and challenging where you can see the rewards of your work then Orthopaedics is an excellent specialty to consider.
To find out more about our region and Trusts please visit the Find Your Place website.