 The Objective of the Fellowship Programme
Ambitious young surgeons around the world seek advice from their clinical mentors regarding centres of excellence where they may travel and learn and gain expertise in state-of-the-art procedures and current leading-edge practice.
Travelling to such units is hard for them, as it takes them away from their family and countries, to unfamiliar environments and health services, where even communicating is a challenge, never mind gaining the experience they seek.
Details of the Fellowship Programme
The Droitwich and London Knee Clinic is similar to many Continental and American clinics, offering a specialist training environment within the private sector, where the culture and opportunity is rather different from that in British National Health Service departments.
The Knee Clinic was established in 1988 by Doctors Angus and Sheila Strover, and two years later they set up the charitable educational trust (Charity Number 1004606), that is now known as The Knee Foundation. At the time this combination represented a challengingly different model to the British norm as the group was:
- Owned and/or controlled by doctors with academia
- An integral part of the culture
- Always striving to lead rather than follow
The Knee Foundation's mission is to:
- Identify and promote best practice amongst sporting and medical professionals
- Identify issues and controversies and facilitate their understanding
- Facilitate pure and applied research and the dissemination of results
- Facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills amongst professionals
- Develop a patient fund to enable certain patients to benefit from our network of highly skilled professionals
The Foundation has a close working relationship with Droitwich Knee Clinic, which is now recognised as the top specialist knee clinic in the UK. The Knee Clinic's Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons and Physiotherapists act as the Foundation's Clinical Advisory Board and two members serve on the Foundation's executive. This reciprocal arrangement allows the clinicians intimate access to educational and research facilities and allows the Foundation team access to expert opinion and skills. Several of the Advisory Board members are well published and Mr Strover is acknowledged as a world expert in orthopaedic arthroscopic techniques on the international and domestic lecture circuit.Our vision for the Foundation is to develop it as an international learning resource centre. With this in mind we established from the outset a Fellowship programme to offer young doctors from around the world the opportunity to work and study in Droitwich. The period of study is usually six months, and the doctor receives from us a stipend to cover his living and study costs. We are hoping in time to widen the programme to include a senior Research Fellow.
These notes are a guide as to what a Fellow might expect and for further information please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Beales, Manager of the Knee Foundation.
Patient Base
The Droitwich Knee Clinic and its outreach clinic, the London Knee Clinic, have a wide patient base, and approximately 1500 surgical knee procedures are performed each year by the five surgeons. At Drotwich, patients are also managed post-operatively by the clinic's own physiotherapists, offering a unique opportunity for involvement in post-operative care. The high levels of surgical skills at Droitwich mean that there are likely to be opportunities to be involved in state-of-the-art procedures, including meniscal allograft and limb realignment.
The Surgical Team
Mr David Robinson FRCS
Mr Robinson initially attended the Droitwich Knee Clinic as a Knee Fellow. He works part-time in the private sector and continues his NHS work as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Worcester Royal Infirmary. He has a special interest in arthroscopic assessment and treatment of the shoulder joint.
Mr Mohi El-Shazly MChOrth
Mr El-Shazly is based full-time at the Knee Clinic, and like David Robinson was also a knee fellow (1995). He is an acknowledged authority on limb reconstruction.
Mr Oliver-Sascha Schindler MD, OFD (Orth) FRCS (Orth)
Mr Schindler has a full-time post at the Droitwich Knee Clinic.
MRI Scans
There is a unique opportunity as a fellow at the Knee Clinic to become very conversant with MRI scans of the knee, as all our consultants are experts at interpreting scans, and the MRI facility is available as a routine outpatient facility.
Rehabilitation
The integration of physiotherapy into the surgical team is also an unusual feature of the management of knee disorders at Droitwich, and this again offers a particular opportunity for Fellows.
The Fellowship
The fellowship is most suitable for those who are senior trainees in the last phases of accreditation and registration as a specialist orthopaedic surgeon and who wish to specialise in knee surgery. The Fellowship is offered by the Knee Foundation in association with the Droitwich Knee Clinic. The fellowship is usually for a period of six months (generally January to June inclusive or July to December inclusive). During the period of fellowship, the Fellow has self-employed status, and is not an employee of either the Clinic or the Foundation.
Requirements:
All fellows will require a work permit in order to be able to study at the Knee Clinic. You will need to carry professional indemnity insurance, with either the Medical Defence Union or the Medical Protection Society, and again we are able to assist you in this regard. It is also particularly helpful for Fellows to be registered with the General Medical Council, as without this they will only be permitted to be observers. Clinical responsibilities and training.
The Knee Fellow is responsible for facilitating the clinical work of the surgeons, but will not be expected to be directly responsible for patients. The Consultants will facilitate your own learning in surgical techniques, but the degree of hands-on work will depend on experience and GMC registration. Approximately half the time of a new Fellow will be in a clinical setting.
The Knee Clinic Consultants do not normally ask the Knee Fellow to work on Saturdays or Sundays and evening theatre is seldom later than about 6pm.
Research
There is an ongoing programme of research at the clinic, and the Fellow will be expected to undertake a specified project within the guidelines established by the research team.The Foundation provides comprehensive support facilities, which include a specialist reference library, computers, a photocopier, space in which to work and some secretarial assistance. Assistance is provided for literature searches, and tuition maybe offered regarding the computer facilities which are available.
In-house Courses
Each year the Foundation holds a number of practical workshops in Arthroscopic Knee Surgery and the Fellow will be expected to participate in these and other training events
Practical Domestic Issues
The Clinic is not able to offer housing assistance. We advise you to contact an estate agent in good time (at least two months before coming) to see what houses and flats they have on their lists, as you will have to provide references and a deposit. Rents tend to be in the region of £550 per calendar month for a furnished house, and the agents require a deposit of four weeks' rent in advance, which is refunded when you leave. The Fellow is responsible for rates, utility bills and telephone. A computer may be provided on loan by the Knee Foundation. The landlord will require the Fellow to agree an inventory check before taking occupation. There are train and bus services from Worcester via Droitwich to Birmingham. Worcester offers much more in the way of shops and entertainment, but is eight miles from Droitwich. If you have children, it is wise to find accommodation early in order to sort out schooling.
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