Description
In this presentation, Kate Spacey, a consultant at the Norfolk and Norwich, discusses the significance of fellowship training in orthopedic departments, particularly focusing on sarcoma and hip surgeries. She identifies the duality of her own expertise as both revision hip and sarcoma trained, setting the stage for an exploration of how fellowships can enhance skills and departmental needs. Spacey emphasizes the importance of understanding orthopedic oncology, as it commonly intersects with hip and pelvis cases that present in emergency settings.
Throughout the talk, she encourages registrars and attendees to consider the potential personal interests and career paths that can emerge from engaging in specialties like sarcoma, highlighting the breadth of cases encountered during fellowships—from proximal humerus to pelvic surgeries, as well as gaining confidence in handling complex trauma scenarios. Spacey underscores the development of communication skills within multidisciplinary teams and the rewarding aspects of dealing with patients experiencing serious health challenges.
She provides specific examples of cases that fellows might encounter, including managing pediatric leg length discrepancies, working with custom implants, and the challenges associated with urgent requests for rare biological grafts. Additionally, for established consultants, she raises points about the necessity of having a designated metastatic bone lead within their departments and assessing the current revision skill sets to better align with patient needs.
Concluding with an encouragement for collaborative dialogue and inquiries about the subject matter through an interactive app, Spacey transitions the floor to her colleague Samantha for further discussion.