Training for nurses and fellows
A Saturday morning of training for nurses and the clinic's fellows at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital.
Why training is scheduled this way
Teaching of this kind happens outside the operating week because that is the only time the whole team is free at once. A session held away from a live list allows a step to be stopped, explained and repeated until it is right, which is not possible with a patient on the table. It is also where equipment that has recently changed can be handled and understood before it is first used in theatre.
What a fellowship year involves
The clinic's fellows are orthopaedic surgeons who have completed their specialist training and are spending a further year concentrating on the shoulder. The year is built around operating and clinics, with teaching sessions, review of the published literature and a research project alongside. Industry support for training and education, and collaboration with university research groups, are both ordinary parts of how that teaching is resourced in Australia.
Why include the nursing staff
Training the theatre nursing staff alongside the fellows is not incidental. A shoulder operation depends on the right instruments being prepared in the right order, on positioning and draping being set up correctly, and on the team recognising which step is coming next. A theatre team that understands the operation rather than simply following a list runs more smoothly and more safely.
With thanks to Grace Strudwick for organising the session, and to Arthrex for their commitment to training and education. Thanks also to Dr Rohit Sane, QUASR and the ARC Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics at QUT and The University of Queensland.
Related information
- Our post on the training session at St Andrew's
- Our shoulder fellowship page
- Our shoulder surgery page
- Our research page