The season finale
Episode 6 of the Australian Orthopaedic Association's MSK Connect podcast, hosted by Dr Kenneth Cutbush, is the season finale. It covers surgical training selection and continuing professional development in Australian orthopaedics, with guests Dr Chris Kondogiannis and Dr Sue Liew.
Why selection and CPD matter
How orthopaedic trainees are selected, and what surgeons are required to do to maintain and develop their skills afterwards, are the two mechanisms by which the standard of orthopaedic care in Australia is maintained over time. Both are subjects of ongoing review within the profession rather than settled questions.
How trainees are selected
Entry to the orthopaedic training programme is competitive, and there are consistently more applicants than places. Applicants are assessed on structured referee reports from the surgeons they have worked for, on a curriculum vitae covering research, courses and prior surgical experience, and on structured interviews. The number of places available is tied to the number of accredited training posts in hospitals and to estimates of how many orthopaedic surgeons the country will need. Because selection determines who enters the specialty at all, the criteria used and the weight given to each are reviewed and argued over regularly, including questions of fairness, of how rural and regional experience is counted, and of whether the process identifies the attributes that matter in practice.
What continuing professional development requires
Qualifying is not the end of the obligation. A surgeon in practice must take part in continuing professional development each year, and participation is recorded and required for ongoing registration. It includes audit of the surgeon's own results, peer review, attendance at educational meetings and courses, and training in areas that are not technical, such as communication, consent and working within a team. The intent is that practice is examined routinely rather than only when something goes wrong, and that a surgeon's methods are updated as the evidence changes over a career that may run for thirty years or more.
Listen
The episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.