Biography:

Having graduated from the University of Leeds, School of Medicine, I entered the run through training programme in the Yorkshire deanery culminating with a CCT in October 2019. Following this, I completed a Sports knee fellowship in Derby and a major trauma centre fellowship in Stoke prior to coming to Bournemouth for the esteemed Hip Fellowship programme. I pursued my interest in medical education and am completing a Masters. I have also gained a Diploma in computer aided orthopaedic systems which I was able to utilise in my fellowship in Bournemouth.

Comments on time as Prof Middleton (ORI) Fellow:

The fellowship with Professor Middleton offered excellent pastoral and clinical support geared towards preparing a Post CCT fellow into consultant practice.

The high-volume elective and trauma practice allows three hip fellows to rotate at different levels of experience depending on when they started their fellowship and based on their previous experience.

The induction process was very good and an initial meeting with Prof outlines the aims at the different stages of the fellowship. There was plenty of opportunity to operate with Prof and Mr. Gallagher. A sign off process allows fellows to operate independently in the respective surgical procedure. This is subsequently passed on to relevant team members to book lists accordingly.

The Derwent suite setup allows the high-volume THR exposure in an environment, with staff, that have years of experience working with Post-CCT fellows. More complex cases are done in Main theatres with ITU/HDU support. Overall, I found all staff members very accommodating working towards a common goal of providing exemplary care. I also had the opportunity to participate in Robotic hip replacements in the Nuffield. Learning from Prof’s practice was very useful as he has the highest robotic hip replacement practice in Europe.

I also undertook three session trauma lists with Mr. Gallagher and Prof in Poole hospital every week. The area has one of the highest rates of fragility and peri-prosthetic fractures in the country with a highly experienced team. Over time I learnt the local algorithms of managing complex hip trauma cases and was able to participate in a national study looking at outcomes of Periprosthetic fractures.

I learnt a great deal from Prof and Mr. Gallagher’s practice in the outpatient setting. From initial assessments and follow up to the correspondence with GPs and patients to ensure they are completely informed of the options and their benefits and risks.

The facilities in ORIBU are world class and offered training on numerous simulators and even had their own state of the art gait lab. This allowed for participation in several trials such as the HELLO study looking at outcomes of Robotic hip replacements.

I am currently applying for consultant posts. The mentorship from Professor Middleton allowed me to hone in my strengths and prepared me for the rest of my career. I found the tutoring on hospital politics especially useful which will allow me to build constructive relationships with the team and have a fulfilling career. I also learnt from his work life balance and am determined to make this a priority.

On the social front, the shores of Dorset have a lot to offer. I often went to the beach for a run and marvelled at the offerings of Bournemouth. Me and the other fellow, Sherif, got on very well which among the other advantages made the fellowship a pleasant experience.

I made lifelong friends and will always remember my time in Bournemouth. I thank Professor Middleton and Mr. Gallagher for an excellent fellowship.