Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery is a specialty dealing with injuries, congenital and acquired disorders of the bones, joints and their associated soft tissues, including ligaments, nerves and muscles. The programme of training in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery is currently an indicative 6 years in duration and aims to furnish trainees with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to progress to CCT in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery.

Entry into ST3 requires successful completion of IMRCS or equivalent at time of application as well as MBBS or equivalent medical qualification.

The award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) occurs at the completion of training once the trainee has demonstrated a range of generic medical skills including team-working and communication as well as well as evidence of competence in the general practice of orthopaedic and trauma surgery.

Most consultants contribute to an emergency trauma workload dealing with bony and soft tissue injuries admitted through their local A & E departments. The vast majority of trauma and orthopaedic surgeons also have a specialist elective interest in orthopaedic conditions, often based on an anatomical region of the body including the following:

• lower limb joint reconstruction (hip and knee replacements and associated procedures)
• hip surgery
• knee surgery (bony and soft tissue)
• ankle and foot
• upper limb (shoulder and elbow)
• upper limb (hands)
• spine
• bone tumour surgery
• the surgery of childhood
• rheumatoid surgery
• complex trauma surgery

A newly appointed consultant in T&O with CCT should be able to accept responsibility for the reception and initial management of the majority of unselected trauma cases and act as the primary consultant for the small number of rare orthopaedic emergencies which may occur. They will deal with the majority of these cases definitively. The consultant will also make appropriate referral to other specialists within the discipline, depending on local circumstances, for those patients who are best served by a colleague with a specific expertise.   The range of elective conditions dealt with by any particular T&O specialist are usually accessed through triage of GP referrals or by cross-referral within regions or occasionally via supra regional referral.

The curriculum for T&O training is modular with the trainee rotating through a series of attachments aimed at providing a comprehensive appreciation of the range of disorders likely to present in his or her later professional life.

Links

• Royal College of Surgeons of England 
• British Orthopaedic Association
• British Orthopaedic Trainees Association
• Trauma and Orthopaedics courses at The Royal College of Surgeons
• Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP)
• Orthopaedic Curriculum and Assessment Programme (OCAP)  

Training programmes

A list of the Trusts involved in the T&O training programmes is available from the download in the right hand panel.