On Friday we had our first, of hopefully many, orthopaedic simulation workshops at the Surgical Skills Centre aimed at training our junior doctors and developing their orthopaedic basic surgical skills in a low stress, supported and safe environment.
Interns, residents and SRMOs from RNSH attended a saw (or simulation) bone workshop and learnt about one of the most commonly used orthopaedic sets – the Small Frag set. It was a great opportunity for our future surgeons to get some early skills on fracture fixation and knowledge on bone healing theory.
Geoff Keighley (orthopaedic senior registrar), Emma Burridge (Synthes product rep) and myself (Andrew Sefton, orthopaedic surgeon and surgical educator) took our future surgeons through the small fragment set, and practiced fixing fractures in the simulated bones using techniques such as lag screws and neutralisation plates, antiglide plates, provisional fixation K-wires.
Coming up we will be running another simulation bone workshop on fixation of hip fractures, aimed at the SRMO to junior registrar level, but interns and residents are welcome to attend. To register your interest please contact Claire Kennedy (surgical education and training coordinator [email protected].
By Andrew Sefton — BSc MBBS GCertSurgEd FRACS FAOrthA
