SICOT Educational Day

The SICOT Educational Day

The Educational Day is a new initiative by the SICOT Young Surgeons Committee and will be launched at the forthcoming SICOT Triennial World Congress in Prague. This short article discusses the conception, the aims and objectives, and takes a peek into what one can expect from the first Educational Day in Prague this year.

The needs of Orthopaedic residents, fellows and practicing Orthopaedic surgeons around the world are evolving constantly. At the same time, evidence-based knowledge in Orthopaedics is expanding at a very rapid rate. Moreover, all the residents around the world need to take exams at some stage in their career to mark completion of training and/or demonstrate competency. Also, most practicing Orthopaedic surgeons do have to undergo some form of appraisal or revalidation at regular intervals to demonstrate fitness to practice. In both these scenarios, acquiring and updating knowledge in a short span of time is essential. The SICOT Educational Day was conceived with exactly this purpose in mind.

The aim of this day is to provide a comprehensive review course for the residents and an evidence-based update for the practicing surgeons on a specific theme at each SICOT Congress and Conference. The theme is selected in such a way that it is mutually beneficial to the residents in their exams and to the Orthopaedic surgeons in their daily practice. The themes are based on the syllabus of the FRCS (Tr & Orth) exam in the United Kingdom and the EBOT exam in Europe, and will be run in a cycle of five years. The event is planned to be held on the first day of every SICOT meeting and would be reasonably priced for residents and surgeons in training.

The theme for the forthcoming Congress in Prague is 'The Hip'. The event will be held at the Prague Congress Centre on 6 September 2011 between 08:00 and 17:00. The day focuses on all the elements of hip surgery right from anatomy and surgical approaches to complex revision hip arthroplasty. The format consists of four to six short lectures in each section followed by ample time for discussion and debate during coffee breaks. Dedicated teachers, a mix of the younger and the older generations, from around the globe have been brought together to lecture on their area of expertise.

So, if you wish to learn, share, debate, and discuss ideas and surgical techniques in an exciting environment with a group of international surgeons in one room, the Educational Day in Prague is the place for you. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mr Vikas Khanduja MSc, FRCS (Tr & Orth)
Consultant Hip and Knee Surgeon, Cambridge, United Kingdom