Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 - Specialty Specific Application Form Questions

These are the UK Specialty Training application form questions used on Oriel for applications to Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 higher specialty training. These are the application form questions used for posts advertised in November 2024 with a start date from August 2025.
 
The questions are presented here to help you prepare for your future applications. Please be aware application form structures, questions, word counts, etc. can change and there is no guarantee that future application forms will remain the same. 

Supporting Information

1. Career Progression, CCT / CESR or Specialist Register

Do you already hold, or are you eligible to hold a CCT/CESR in Trauma & Orthopaedics or are you currently eligible for the specialist register in this specialty? (Yes | No)

2. Membership Examination

In order to be eligible for appointment to this specialty, you must have successfully completed your MRCS by examination (full qualification) by 5pm on Tuesday 15 April 2025.

At the time of application have you successfully completed MRCS by examination (full qualification)? (Yes | No)
Answer NO if you have not yet successfully complete all parts of the examination.

Self-Assessment

1. Instructions for completing the Self Assessment form

Please complete the questions below. You will be contacted in due course with instructions as to how to upload your evidence.

You must ensure that you complete these questions in conjunction with the information provided in the 2024 Self Assessment Guidance on the national Trauma & Orthopaedics website.

The guidance specifies the mandatory requirements for evidencing your responses to each question.  If the validators are unable to verify that your evidence matches your answers, you will not be awarded any marks for those criteria.  If it is subsequently discovered that any statement is false or misleading, evidence will be collected and you may be referred to a Probity Panel. Any probity issues will be reported to the GMC.

Some elements of the Self-Assessment score will be adjusted based on your years in practice according to a formula agreed by the Selection Design Group.

Please note: All time periods specified in the Self-Assessment Form refer to full time equivalent.

Question 1

By the end of July 2025, or by completion of Core Training if this is later, how many months will you have spent in total in any job in medicine post foundation programme (2 years from primary medical qualification)? This includes clinical and non-clinical jobs in any specialty (including medical education such as demonstrating).

  • 0 to 39 months : 1
  • 40 to 51 months : 2
  • 52 to 63 months : 3
  • 64 to 76 months : 4
  • 77 months or more : 5


Scoring Guidance: 

The value attributed to this question ‘N’ will not contribute to the overall portfolio score.

The administration team will divide the final scores you record for questions 5, 6, 7 and 8 by ‘N’.

The calculation for the Self-Assessment weighting can be found on the website here: National Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 Recruitment | Health Education Yorkshire and Humber (yorksandhumberdeanery.nhs.uk)

Evidence: 

Please provide evidence of completion of training posts. 

For non-training posts please provide a copy of the front page of your contract of employment which includes dates. 

If the front page of your contract does not include both start and finish dates other evidence will be required to confirm duration of post e.g. Letter from HR/Head of Service/Supervising Consultant

Question 2

By the end of July 2025, or by completion of Core Training if this is later, how many months will you have spent in total in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery in any post foundation job in any country? Please do not include any other posts. 

  • 0 to 3 months : 0
  • 4 to 9 months : 2
  • 10 to 42 months : 8
  • 43 to 59 months : 4
  • 60 months or more : 1

 

Evidence: 

Please provide evidence of completion of training posts. 

For non-training posts please provide a copy of the front page of your contract of employment which includes dates. 

If the front page of your contract does not include both start and finish dates other evidence will be required to confirm duration of post e.g. Letter from HR/Head of Service/Supervising Consultant

Question 3

By the end of July 2025, or completion of Core Training, will you have spent at least 4 months in posts in these complementary specialties: Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, ENT Surgery, Cardiac/Thoracic surgery, Emergency Medicine, ITU, Urology, OMFS, Paediatric Surgery or General Surgery since completing your Foundation Programme?

  • I will not have spent four months in any of these specialties : 0
  • I will have spent at least four months in a post in one of these specialties : 1
  • I will have spent at least four months in posts in two or more of these specialties : 2


Evidence: 

Please provide evidence of completion of training posts. 

For non-training posts please provide a copy of the front page of your contract of employment which includes dates. 

If the front page of your contract does not include both start and finish dates other evidence will be required to confirm duration of post e.g. Letter from HR/Head of Service/Supervising Consultant

Question 4

At the time of application, how many wholly completed operations for fracture of neck of femur have you completed which have been done either STS or STU? These must be recorded in a consultant validated logbook.

  • Zero to four : 0
  • Five to eleven : 2
  • Twelve or more : 4


Evidence: 

You must provide logbook evidence validated by a consultant. Consolidation sheets including the consultant’s name, signature and GMC number on each sheet are required.

Question 5

By the application closing date, since starting undergraduate medical school, how many PubMed indexed journal first author publications can you provide evidence for? Do not include published abstracts, case reports, letters, or technical tips.

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
  • Six
  • Seven
  • Eight
  • Nine
  • Ten
  • Eleven
  • Twelve
  • Thirteen
  • Fourteen
  • Fifteen or more


Scoring Guidance: 

Please enter numerical count of first author papers with PMID (PubMed Identifier). Your score will be adjusted according to the weighting formula following validation.

Evidence: 

Please provide a PMID (PubMed identifier) for each paper. 

Collaborative group names cannot be considered as first author. 

This includes those “in press”. If “accepted without revision” but not yet published, please provide official evidence from the journal editor. 

Recognised PubMed journals can be found here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/serfile_addedinfo.html

Question 6

By the application closing date, since starting undergraduate medical school, how many other publications have you had published in any PubMed indexed journals? Do not include published abstracts, case reports, letters, or technical tips.

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
  • Six
  • Seven
  • Eight
  • Nine
  • Ten or more


Scoring Guidance: 

Please enter numerical count of other papers with PMID (PubMed Identifier). Your score will be adjusted according to the weighting formula following validation.

Evidence: 

Please provide a PMID (PubMed identifier) for each paper. 

Collaborative work will only be considered as a publication if there is clear evidence that you had a significant role in the publication, such as in the design of the study, data analysis or writing the paper. 

This includes those “in press”. If “accepted without revision” but not yet published, please provide official evidence from the journal editor. 

Recognised PubMed journals can be found here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/serfile_addedinfo.html

Question 7

By the application closing date, since starting undergraduate medical school, how many national and international presentations (including at virtually delivered established conferences) have been given of work in which you are a listed author? Do not include poster presentations.

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
  • Six
  • Seven
  • Eight
  • Nine
  • Ten or more


Scoring Guidance: 

Please enter numerical count of presentations delivered. Your score will be adjusted according to the weighting formula following validation.

Evidence: 

Please provide a copy of the relevant page of the meeting programme(s). 

Each project will only be counted once even if presented at more than one meeting. 

Collaborative work will only be considered as a presentation if there is clear evidence that you had a significant role in the project such as in the design of the study, data analysis or delivery of the presentation. 

Consideration will be given to formal recognition from a conference committee of work which would have been presented in normal ‘pre-Covid pandemic’ circumstances but was not due to the restricted volume of presentations at a virtual conference during 2020-2022

The Selection Design Group Station Leads will be the final arbitrators regarding legitimate conferences and duplicate presentations.

Any probity issues will be reported to the GMC.

Question 8

By the application closing date, since starting undergraduate medical school, how many audits against a published standard or quality improvement projects have you undertaken which have resulted in presentation of the results?

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
  • Six
  • Seven
  • Eight
  • Nine
  • Ten or more


Scoring Guidance: 

Please enter numerical count of audits or quality improvement projects. Your score will be adjusted according to the weighting formula following validation.

Evidence: 

Please provide authenticated evidence of completion and presentation such as “Assessment of Audit”, validated certificate or letter from audit lead clinician.

Do not supply a copy of presentation slides or audit meeting agenda.

If you can demonstrate active involvement in both cycles of a closed loop audit, each cycle would count e.g. 2 cycles counts as 2 audits

Data collection for a collaborative project will be counted as equivalent to one audit cycle

Any probity issues will be reported to the GMC.

Question 9

At the time of application, have you completed and been awarded a stand-alone UK higher degree or equivalent (see evidence below) examined by thesis/dissertation? (N.B. this does not include intercalated degrees) 

  • No : 0
  • Masters (e.g. MSc, MMedEd, MS, MCh(Orth), ChM) : 1
  • PhD, MD : 2


Evidence: 

Please provide your degree certificate. 

If your degree was taken outside the UK, you must also provide evidence of its equivalence (e.g. a letter from the institution confirming that it was awarded following production of a research-based thesis and full examination, together with a copy of your results transcript and a translation if appropriate)

We are aware of organisations such as UK NARIC however the Selection Design Group Station Leads will be the final arbitrators. 

Question 10

Please select one statement that best describes your involvement in leadership or management.

  • I have no evidence of involvement in leadership or management : 0
  • I have provided evidence from my portfolio of a local or regional leadership or management role within or outside of medicine since starting undergraduate medical school. : 1
  • I have provided evidence from my portfolio of a national or international formal leadership or management role within or outside of medicine since starting undergraduate medical school. : 2

Evidence: 

Please supply evidence to support your response e.g. a signed letter from a registered body. 

Selection Design Group station leads will be the final arbitrators

Question 11

I have the following teaching experience

  • Little or none : 0
  • Regular engagement in provision of formal teaching during the last 2 years (4 or more sessions per year) and will provide evidence from my portfolio. : 1
  • Formal qualification in teaching (PG Masters/Diploma/Certificate or equivalent to 60 university credits) or formal substantive teaching role : 2


Evidence: 

Please supply evidence to support your response such as Observation of Teaching (OoT) or delegate feedback. 

Teaching role must have been within the last five years for a minimum of six months. 

Attendance at teaching courses such as ATLS Instructor and Training the Trainer will not be counted. 

Selection Design Group station leads will be the final arbitrators

Question 12
I confirm that I will provide the evidence to support the responses to these questions in an organised manner and as specified in the written instructions  
  • No : 0
  • Yes : 2
Evidence:
The first page of evidence for each domain to be a summary page clearly showing where each piece of relevant evidence is to be found
Selection Design Group station leads will be the final arbitrators