Latest News

SAS surgeons: At the Heart of the BOA

The BOA ‘SAS Career Development Position Statement’ was launched at Congress (see www.boa.ac.uk/sas for the document and more). It highlights the vital role that SAS surgeons play in T&O teams and our commitment to supporting their development through every stage of their careers. We recognise Specialty & Associate Specialist (SAS) surgeons or Locally-Employed Doctors (LEDs) will have distinct needs for career and educational support specific to their situation. We are building resources to assist with SAS career development, and if there are resources that you would find helpful in developing your career we would love to hear from you at info@boa.ac.uk.

BOA discussions on practicing in the Independent Sector

We recently published an update on the work that the BOA does in engaging with private practice issues. BOA Council member Andrew Manktelow is our representative on the Council of the Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations (FIPO) and the BOA lead for the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), both of which have significant relevance for any members who have a private practice. You can read the article on our website at: www.boa.ac.uk/private-practice-update.

Lots of interest in new BOA roles!

We have recently been recruiting new members for BOA committee roles and have had a great response. The current selection process is ongoing but we will publicise the successful applicants in the next JTO.

It’s great to have this level of interest in BOA roles and thanks to everyone who has put themselves forward. If you’re looking for a way to get more involved, we are looking for UKITE Editors and have other opportunities available at www.boa.ac.uk/getinvolved.

Medical students getting involved in the BOA and getting together as BOMSA!

We were proud to host the launch of BOMSA, the newly founded British Orthopaedic Medical Students Association, at our Medical Student Day at Congress. BOMSA will encourage collaboration between medical school societies to enhance early positive exposure of orthopaedics to medical students on a national scale and has already had buy in from over 70% of UK medical schools. We look forward to working closely with BOMSA in the future.

Other highlights of the day were the practical sessions, with locking screws into apples and getting hands-on with cement (kindly donated by Heraeus). The quality of abstracts was outstanding, and congratulations to Catherine James, who took first place with her Crash Course in Orthopaedics webinar series.

Congratulations also to Sulaiman Uppal, winner of the 2021 Medical Student essay prize (see page 8). The title for 2022 will be “How can we make Trauma & Orthopaedics in the UK more eco-friendly?” and entries will be open 1st – 28th February 2022.

Hundreds taking BOA’s UKITE Exam

More than 800 trainees from across the UK and Ireland are expected to take the UKITE Exam online between 10th – 17th December. Since its inception in 2007, UKITE has helped trainees prepare for section 1 of the FRCS Tr and Orth with questions covering the full spectrum of sub-specialties, contributed by our volunteers. We would like to thank our team of over 30 editors and subspecialty leads, and Ajay Malviya our clinical lead, for their tireless work. For any queries, or to get involved for 2022, please contact ukite@boa.ac.uk.

Announcing New Research Fellowship funding – Joint BOA/ORUK fellowships

The inaugural BOA & Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) joint research fellowship will be fully launched soon – watch the BOA website and emails for more details. This pilot scheme will award two fellowships of up to £65k for a project in any area of orthopaedics. Funding will be available for salary (maximum £60k) or as a stipend at UKRI levels. BOA Members at any trainee grade and SAS surgeons are invited to apply. To support diversity and inclusion within trauma and orthopaedics, we encourage applications from individuals who wish to undertake their research flexibly or less than full-time. For more information: www.boa.ac.uk/researchfellowships.

Two new BOASTs published

The BOA has produced the following new BOASTs, which are available on our website at www.boa.ac.uk/boasts.

• ‘The Safe Use of Intraoperative Tourniquets’ BOAST has been published in collaboration with BSSH and BSCOS. Local tissue damage is a significant potential consequence of tourniquet use, particularly in vulnerable patients. This BOAST provides strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and management of tourniquet related injuries.

• The ‘Peripheral Nerve Injuries’ BOAST has been published in collaboration with BAPRAS, BSSH and OTS. All clinicians undertaking musculoskeletal care may be involved in the management of peripheral nerve injury, either as a complication of surgery or as the result of primary trauma. The consequences of a missed peripheral nerve injury have considerable impact on the patient. This BOAST discusses the early identification and timely management of injured nerves.

Where we started – the original faculty

End of an era for the Clinical Examination Course, but a bright future ahead

Where we started – the original faculty

How we’ve grown – 2021 faculty

After 11 fantastic years running the Clinical Examination course at Congress, Fazal Ali has retired from his post as Course Lead. Fazal designed the original course and has grown it from the faculty of eight, managing with the most basic equipment, to over 25 members delivering high quality education and hands-on practice for perfecting techniques. Also retiring from the course faculty this year are Shantanu Shahane, Joe Garcia, Amjid Ali, James Fernandes, Paul Haslam, Paul Banaszkiewicz, Irwin Lasrado and Kevin Wembridge. The faculty have made the course the success it is today and we pass on our appreciation for their hard work and years of commitment.

We are delighted that Fazal is handing over the baton to Karen Robinson from 2022 and we are sure it will continue to grow and develop under her leadership and guidance.

BOA Virtual Ortho Update 2022

The BOA Ortho Update 2022 will be taking place virtually on Saturday 8th January 2022 from 9am to 4.30pm. Places are extremely limited so register early to guarantee your place.

The one-day programme provides curriculum driven clinical updates and critical condition assessment opportunities aimed at T&O trainees and SAS surgeons. The course will include plenary update lectures delivered by expert clinicians and Case Based Discussions (CBDs) across a range of critical condition topics, including compartment syndrome, neurovascular injuries, painful spine in the child and spine trauma.

For the final programme and further information, including how to register, please visit the BOA website at www.boa.ac.uk/orthoupdate.

SAC Committee Vacancies

The Specialist Advisory Committee for T&O has seven imminent vacancies and is currently advertising with a closing date of 12th December 2021.

The SAC is the influential body that advises JCST regarding all issues relating to training and its members share a desire to raise training standards and to provide support for trainees and trainers across all areas. If you are interested, please visit www.jcst.org/committees/ sac-membership-vacancies for more details, or contact Rob Gregory, (DM Twitter @ rjhgregory) Chair of the Committee.