Trauma and orthopaedic surgery
Trauma and orthopaedic (T&O) surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the musculoskeletal system including bones and joints and structures that enable movement such as ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
You’ll work with patients of all ages, often in a district general hospital or possibly in specialist centres or orthopaedic hospitals.
Life as a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon
You’ll spend around 40% of your time in surgery and the rest in outpatient clinics, the emergency department and assessing/monitoring patients before and after surgery. This is a rewarding specialty where your work can bring rapid relief from pain and discomfort for patients.
You’ll work on trauma to the musculoskeletal system, such as broken, fractured or dislocated bones and soft tissue injuries. These could be caused by anything from a low energy fracture in an older patient to multiple injuries caused by a road traffic accident.
Your orthopaedic work will include the replacement of whole joints such as knees and hips following damage due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. You’ll also treat congenital and degenerative conditions of the musculoskeletal system, often in babies and children, as well as infections and tumours.
Your surgical work is specialised and varied. Some operations are very quick, for example a spinal injection, whereas other operations, to stabilise someone’s neck or straighten a spine, may take several hours. You could work as part of a trauma team alongside emergency department doctors, anaesthetists, general surgeons and specialist nurses. You’ll also work independently.
You will use the latest technologies such as minimally invasive techniques for diagnosis and surgery and computer-aided navigation during surgery which enables 3D mapping of a joint. This is exciting for you and highly beneficial for your patients with reduced scarring and recovery time.
You can expect to be on-call for trauma emergencies and to sometimes work out-of-hours on long surgical procedures, more so than in some other surgical specialties.
How much can I earn?
You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. Find out details of current salary ranges for foundation and specialty training, SAS doctors and consultants on the 'Pay for doctors' page.
How about the benefits?
- make a difference
- flexible and part-time working
- high income early in your career
- work anywhere in the world
- excellent pension scheme
- good holiday entitlement
- NHS discounts in shops and restaurants
Must-have skills
- excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families
- emotional resilience, a calm temperament and the ability to work well under pressure
- teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams
- problem-solving and diagnostic skills
- outstanding organisational ability and effective decision-making skills
- first-class time and resource management for the benefit of patients
- a high degree of manual dexterity
- superb hand-eye co-ordination, excellent vision, and visuospatial awareness
- physical stamina to cope with the demands of surgery
Entry requirements
Your first step is medical school. Typically, you’ll need excellent GCSEs and three A or A* passes at A level including chemistry for a five-year undergraduate degree in medicine. Many medical schools also ask for biology and others may require maths or physics.
If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine.
You’ll need to pass an interview and admissions test. You’ll be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect.
Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from different backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application.
"It was a placement in a children’s hospital towards the end of my specialist training that made me decide on paediatric T&O as my sub-specialty. I immediately loved the warm and welcoming atmosphere in the hospital, and working with children."
Read Emily's story.
What are my chances of starting a career in trauma and orthopaedics?
In 2020 there were 715 applications for 125 specialty training places, (a competition ratio of 5.72). There are currently 2,654 trauma and orthopaedic surgeons working in the NHS in England.
How to become a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon
After medical school, you’ll join the paid two-year foundation programme where you’ll work in six placements in different settings.
After your foundation programme, you can apply for paid specialty training to become a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, which will take a minimum of eight years.
You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities.
Where a career in trauma and orthopaedics can take you
You could:
- specialise or conduct research in areas such a particular part of the body for example shoulder/elbow, joint reconstruction such as hip or knee, paediatric surgery, sports injury or complex trauma surgery
- teach medical students or postgraduate students in training
- get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector
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Directorate Manager Trauma and Orthopaedics
Llantrisant, CF72 8XR
- Salary :
- £78120.00 to £90013.00
- Type :
- Secondment
- Employer :
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
-
Trust Doctor in Trauma and Orthopaedics
Torquay, TQ2 7AA
- Salary :
- £52656.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
-
Trust Locum Consultant - Trauma and Orthopaedic
Hastings, TN37 7RD
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
-
Specialist Physiotherapist Trauma and Orthopaedics and Vascular
London, W2 1NY
- Salary :
- £44806.00 to £53134.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
-
Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Trauma and Orthopaedics
Birmingham, B4 6NH
- Salary :
- £65048.00 to £73992.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust
-
Senior Clinical Fellow in Trauma and Orthopaedics
LONDON, SE13 6LH
- Salary :
- £65048.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
-
Locally Employed Doctor (Higher) Trauma and Orthopaedics
Birmingham, B15 2TH
- Salary :
- £65048.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
-
Locum Consultant in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
Colchester, CO4 5JL
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
-
Care Group Specialist Clinical Pharmacist - Trauma and Orthopaedics
Southampton, SO16 6YD
- Salary :
- £55690.00 to £62682.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
-
Locum Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant Hand,Wrist,Trauma Surgery
Birmingham, B9 5SS
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
-
Trauma Senior Clinical Fellowship in Orthopaedics
Camberwell, SE5 9RS
- Salary :
- £79038.00 to £87486.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon
Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5NY
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust
-
Locum Consultant in Orthopaedics (Knee Surgeon)
Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7QB
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant in Orthopaedics
Sheffield, S5 7AU
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Trauma & Orthopaedics HCSW
Poole, BH15 2JB
- Salary :
- £24465.00 to £26598.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
-
Senior Occupational Therapist for Orthopaedics
London, E11 1NR
- Salary :
- £53751.00 to £60651.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Barts Health NHS Trust
-
Trauma & Orthopaedics Patient Pathway Coordinator
Carshalton, SM5 1AA
- Salary :
- £32199.00 to £34876.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
-
Trust Registrar in Trauma & Orthopaedics
Southall, UB1 3HW
- Salary :
- £44170.00 to £67610.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
-
Support Medical Secretary - Trauma & Orthopaedics
Dudley, DY1 2HQ
- Salary :
- £24937.00 to £26598.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
-
Trust Registrar in Trauma & Orthopaedics
Southall, UB1 3HW
- Salary :
- £44170.00 to £67610.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
-
Junior Training Fellow in Trauma & Orthopaedics
Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QG
- Salary :
- £52656.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust
-
Consultant Anaesthetist (Orthopaedics and Trauma Anaesthesia)
Wrexham, LL11 7TD
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
-
LAS Specialty Registrar in Trauma & Orthopaedics
Reading, RG1 5AN
- Salary :
- £65048.00 to £73992.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
-
Waiting List Coordinator Paediatric Trauma & Orthopaedics
Nottingham, NG7 2UH
- Salary :
- £26530.00 to £29114.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts
-
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Shepton Mallet, BA4 4LP
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Practice Plus Group
-
Consultant In Trauma & Orthopaedics, Interest in Foot & Ankle Surgery
Orpington, BR6 8ND
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
-
Locum Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
Royal Stoke, ST4 6QG
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust
-
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon – Upper Limb or Shoulder & Elbow
Shepton Mallet, BA4 4LP
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Practice Plus Group
-
Associate Group Manager, Trauma and Neuro Services
Coventry, CV2 2DX
- Salary :
- £55690.00 to £62682.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
-
Locum Consultant Plastic Surgeon with an interest in Skin & Trauma
Salisbury, SP2 8BJ
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
-
B7 Occupational Therapist - Major Trauma, Trauma & Spines team leader
Nottingham, NG7 2UH
- Salary :
- £47810.00 to £54710.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts
-
Orthopaedic Practitioner
Gateshead, NE96SX
- Salary :
- £31049.00 to £37796.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
-
GPwER - Orthopaedics
Birmingham, B16 8PE
- Salary :
- £10750.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Modality LLP
-
Speciality Administrator - Orthopaedics
Winchester, SO22 5DG
- Salary :
- £24937.00 to £26598.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Clinical Fellow - Orthopaedics
Birmingham, B16 8PE
- Salary :
- £10250.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Modality LLP
-
Locum Consultant Plastics with a SI in lower limb trauma and hands
East Grinstead, RH19 3DZ
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Locum
- Employer :
- Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
-
Clinical Health Psychologist (Major Trauma)
Plymouth,, PL6 8DH
- Salary :
- £53755.00 to £60504.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
-
Strategic Senior Buyer - Orthopaedics
Epsom, KT18 5AL
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Nuffield Health
-
Orthopaedic Team Leader - Theatres
Bristol, BS6 6UT
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Spire Healthcare Ltd
-
Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Practitioner (AP)
Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7QB
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
-
Health Care Assistant - Orthopaedics
Wirral, CH49 5PE
- Salary :
- £24465.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
-
Specialist Midwife for Trauma Informed Care
Nottingham, NG7 2UH
- Salary :
- £47810.00 to £54710.00
- Type :
- Secondment
- Employer :
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts
-
Senior Occupational Therapist - Orthopaedics & Surgery
Luton, LU4 0DZ
- Salary :
- £38682.00 to £46580.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Theatre Practitioner - Scrub Orthopaedics (Bank)
Haywards Heath, RH16 1UD
- Salary :
- £26.00 to £26.00
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- Nuffield Health
-
Physiotherapy Assistant - Inpatient Orthopaedic Team
Dartford, DA2 8DA
- Salary :
- £25768.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
-
South Wales Trauma Network Paediatric Clinical Lead
Baglan, SA12 7BR
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Swansea Bay University Health Board
-
Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Elective Orthopaedic Surgery
Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QG
- Salary :
- £53755.00 to £60504.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust
-
Specialist Occupational Therapist , Orthopaedic Oncology Team
Stanmore, HA7 4LP
- Salary :
- £44485.00 to £52521.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
-
Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist - Orthopaedics
Gorleston, NR31 6LA
- Salary :
- £47810.00 to £54710.00
- Type :
- Secondment
- Employer :
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Clinical Lead for CYP Mental Health/Trauma Informed Care Programme
Willerby, HU10 6DT
- Salary :
- £76965.00 to £88682.00
- Type :
- Secondment
- Employer :
- Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant Hand Surgeon
Doncaster, DN40TG
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Locum
- Employer :
- HealthHarmonie
-
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Coventry, CV2 2DX
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
-
Consultant Colorectal Surgeon
Plymouth, PL6 8DH
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
-
Consultant Spinal Surgeon
Sheffield, S11 8UX
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- One Health Group
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These organisations have further information about being a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, particularly as your career progresses. Take a look.
British Orthopaedic Association
British Orthopaedic Trainees Association
Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations
The Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
And hear from people working as a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon:
Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon - Council member Royal College of Surgeons
A career in trauma and orthopaedics - Alexander F Young, Benjamin C Caesar, Lee A David