Orthopaedic Academy
We partner with the Orthopaedic Academy, a long-established provider of webinar-based orthopaedic teaching programmes, to help deliver elements of our virtual programme
This partnership has enabled us to provide a highly rated virtual continuous professional development programme that has been accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. A key element is an Intensive FRCS (Orth) mock viva and clinical exam course for senior trainees aiming to pass the FRCS (Orth) examinations and subsequently become consultants, which includes the opportunity for candidates to undertake mock exams and receive one-to-one feedback from faculty leaders. This was the first course of its kind in the UK that exactly simulated the new format of exam which moved to a virtual platform. Around 200 trainees attend the course each year, making it one of the most important platforms for developing future orthopaedic consultants, both in the UK and internationally.
The course is convened by Mr Firas Arnaout, who is a fellowship trained consultant in hip and knee arthroplasty, a founder of the Orthopaedic Academy and editor of the award-winning exam preparation book, Concise Orthopaedic Notes, that has become one of the main orthopaedic exam revision resources in the UK and internationally.
He sees a bright future for this type of web-based learning, saying, ‘Although the constraints imposed by the pandemic demanded that we shift to online programmes, the feedback shows that we are actually delivering a better experience for candidates than more traditional, face-to-face learning. We can be more flexible, fitting the programme around their schedules. We can also provide better quality content because we can check in advance and supervise what is actually being taught.’
He also enjoys partnering with ORUK, ‘They are a very progressive organisation, proactive and easy to communicate with. They listen and if I have ideas that fit within their strategy, they’re very happy to take them on. I also like how their focus is always on improving the quality of courses, rather than on commercial considerations.’