Job overview

The aim of this post is for junior doctors to gain experience iTrauma and Orthopaedic Surgery.

 Although this post is not recognised for training, it provides invaluable experience at the Specialty/Core Trainee Level 1/2 in the management of Trauma & Orthopaedics.

With the increasing competition for CT and ST posts there are more and more capable doctors who are potentially missing out on getting onto a recognised programme. The  post holder should consider this post as a stepping stone to making themselves a better candidate at the next round of appointments.

 As such it will reward those who are keen to learn more Orthopaedic Surgery and are willing to work on improving their clinical and surgical skills. The post holder will have opportunities to attend clinics and theatres to improve their knowledge. There are also Audit and Research opportunities for those willing to devote the effort into them.

The post holder will gain experience in all sub-specialties: Lower Limb, Spinal. Upper Limb, Hand, Foot & Ankle.

The department has a long history of excellence in its provision of Orthopaedic surgery. It participates in superb Specialist Registrar rotations, which attract high calibre candidates.

The demand on the service is great and we perform a large number of operations on knees, hips, spine, hands shoulders, elbows, feet and ankles. Wherever possible our surgery is carried out in a day surgery setting and in line with Best Practice Tariff.

Main duties of the job

The duties of the post are primarily at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

1.    The post includes internal cover for annual leave and study leave.

2.    Attending the daily Trauma Meetings and MDT meetings and participate in the presentation of trauma cases.

3.    The post holder will be responsible for the emergency treatment of cases under the supervision of the relevant Specialist Registrar/Clinical Fellow & Consultant.

4.    Visiting all patients under the care of the Orthopaedic team and make additional visits to particular patients as requested by the Senior Medical or Ward Staff.

5.    Accompanying the Consultants on their ward rounds and attend outpatient clinics and operating lists unless specifically excused.

6.    Responsible for checking the completion of the electronic discharge /audit form on every patient and ensuring that a legible letter accompanies each patient leaving hospital.

7.    Seeing that any surgical patient, who takes his/her own discharge contrary to the advice of the Consultant staff, signs a statement to that effect and will inform the patient’s General Practitioner of the situation.

8.    Assisting your Consultant and Specialist Registrar/Clinical Fellow with teaching medical students.

Working for our organisation

Our Organisation

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) provides a full range of general acute, outpatient and diagnostic services at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop’s Stortford, and St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping.

We employ 3,500 staff and serve a local population of around 350,000 people living in west Essex and east Hertfordshire, centred on the M11 corridor and the towns of Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford and Epping. Our extended catchment area incorporates a population of up to 500,000 and includes the areas of Hoddesdon, Cheshunt and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

Our Values

The Princess Alexandra Promise to our patients as identified by our 3 values which will contribute to improving our patient experiences:

Patient at heart – Always holding the patient and their wellbeing at the centre of our thoughts and efforts

Everyday excellence – Sharing and celebrating our successes, being honest when we get it wrong, giving us the ability to learn from both

Creative collaboration – Knowing strength comes from diversity, we combine our experiences, skills and talents, working together to find new and better ways to care

The Trust believes in investing in all our staff and rewarding high standards of care whilst building for excellence and in return we expect our staff to uphold the Trust values to the highest level.