UK Orthopaedic Trainees Covering Medical Covid-19 Wards and Still Meet Joint Committee on Surgical Training Trauma Procedure Guidelines: A Successful Multifaceted Collaborative Model

Description

David Ferguson, a registrar in Northeast London's Percival Potts program, discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical training in the UK, especially regarding trauma procedures. He reflects on the initial lockdown's chaos and the challenges faced by healthcare workers, including maintaining operative numbers in a drastically altered work environment. Ferguson details how the trauma rota changed during the pandemic, with registrars switching between COVID wards and trauma days, and highlights a collaborative model that emerged, allowing registrars to double scrub in surgeries to meet training requirements.



Ferguson presents data comparing surgical outcomes before and during the pandemic, indicating no significant difference in the average number of trauma cases performed despite the dramatic shifts in training and work patterns. He emphasizes teamwork and communication among healthcare workers as key to navigating these changes successfully. Throughout his presentation, he conveys optimism about the potential for this collaborative model to influence future training practices and expresses gratitude for the resilience shown by his colleagues during a challenging time. The session closes with audience questions, where Ferguson further elaborates on the sustainability of the new rota model and the educational benefits of collaborating with fellow registrars.

DOI: 10.1302/3114-221402

Specialties

Conferences