The Impact of the European Working Time Regulations on Orthopaedic Trainee Operative Experience

Trauma and orthopaedic surgery (T&O) has the largest number of trainees of any individual surgical specialty in the UK. It is a craft-based specialty, with 'hands-on' training, based on an apprenticeship model involving operative and procedural skills. In 1992 Kenneth Calman, then Chief Medical Officer, set up a working group to reform the specialist curriculum, placing more emphasis on structured teaching, supervised learning and surgical experience.

Levelling the playing field: the future of the FRCS (Tr & Orth) exam

The processes of formal assessment and examination in the UK have become increasingly convoluted over the past few years, whether at school, in higher education, or as a senior orthopaedic trainee sitting the ISB examination at fellowship level in trauma and orthopaedics. Although rationalising the ever-expanding methods of assessment inflicted upon medical students and postgraduate doctors by various government departments is not within our remit, we can endeavour to shed light on the current issues surrounding the FRCS (Tr & Orth) examination.