AO Fellowship At John Radcliffe, Oxford

One of the first things a house officer learns when they start their training in orthopedics, is the AO classification of fractures. Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (German for “Association for the Study of Internal Fixation”) or AO,  was founded in Switzerland in 1958, and runs introductory to advanced trauma training courses for orthopaedic surgeons.

One of the more coveted fellowships to bag in ones orthopaedic career is an AO fellowship. So you can imagine my elation when I received my acceptance into Oxford, for an AO training program in December 2017. With the invitation, came the excitement of being a student again and of course the opportunity to travel.

I found myself at Oxford in April 2018, just at the start of  spring. The place carries with it such a thick air of history, culture and academic glory, you can actually just breathe it. I was introduced to my mentors, Mr. John McMaster and Mr. Bob Handley among others who are legends in the field of trauma surgery. I tailed them through their days, assisted in surgeries, learnt tips and tricks to apply to my own practice and made many new friends.

The thing which struck me the most, was how friendly and open minded their team of surgeons was, and how willing they were, to exchange ideas and adopt another strategy if it appealed to them.  It was truly a magical month.

I had a few years ago trained in the use of the Oxford Partial Knee Replacement system, and now with this trauma fellowship from Oxford under my belt, I think I have learnt all I can from that esteemed institution.

Thank you AO!