Trauma and orthopaedics: Specialty Training Interview Questions
The trauma and orthopaedics questions that sit on top of the specialty training core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.
Updated 28 October 2026
The structures these questions are marked on
- SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
- The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →
Motivation
Point to things you have done rather than feelings you have: tasters, audits, courses, exams, conferences. Name what you will find hard, honestly. Know the curriculum, the stages and the exams, and have an answer for what you would do if unsuccessful this year.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialty
Why trauma and orthopaedics, and what have you done to prepare for higher training in it?
Evidence: the core rotations, the trauma and elective experience, the logbook, the courses including the trauma courses, the MRCS, the research, the audit. Say what each taught you and which subspecialty interests you.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical lead
What do you know about the trauma and orthopaedics curriculum, the subspecialty interests, and the trauma commitment?
The length, the subspecialty years in hip and knee, upper limb, spine, foot and ankle, paediatrics, trauma or oncology, the exams, the indicative numbers, and the trauma on call throughout. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
- Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialty
Orthopaedics has a reputation for a difficult culture and a heavy on call. How will you sustain a career in it and what kind of colleague will you be?
A real strategy for the on call and the load, and a view on culture: what you have seen done well and badly, the college's position on bullying, and the colleague you intend to be.
Clinical scenario
Go to see the patient, assess with ABCDE, treat what can be treated, escalate early and clearly, and say what you would do afterwards. Assessors are scoring judgement, prioritisation and escalation rather than knowledge; a safe answer that asks for help early beats a clever one that does not.
A patient presents with an open tibial fracture after a motorcycle crash. Talk us through your management.
The trauma call and the primary survey first, then the limb: the neurovascular status, the wound photographed and covered, the antibiotics and tetanus, the alignment and the splint, the imaging, and the combined orthoplastic decision about debridement and fixation within the standard's timescale. Say who you would call and when.
A patient six hours after a tibial nailing has increasing pain not controlled by opioids and pain on passive stretch. What do you do?
Compartment syndrome until proven otherwise: the dressings split, the limb at heart level, the pressure measured if the diagnosis is in doubt but not to delay, and the fasciotomy now with the consultant called. Say that you would not wait for the pulses to disappear.
An 85 year old with a fractured neck of femur is admitted. What is your plan from admission to discharge?
The orthogeriatric pathway: the analgesia including a block, the medical optimisation for surgery within the target time, the operation chosen by the fracture and the patient, the early mobilisation, the bone health, the delirium prevention, and the discharge planning from day one. Say what the hip fracture database measures.
A child presents with a limp and a low grade fever. What do you do?
Septic arthritis until proven otherwise: the criteria, the bloods, the ultrasound, the aspiration and the washout in theatre if confirmed, with the paediatric team. The differential including transient synovitis and the serious diagnoses that must not be missed. Say what you would tell the parents.
A patient with a hip replacement presents two weeks after surgery with a hot, swollen joint. What do you do?
Early prosthetic joint infection: the bloods, the aspiration before antibiotics unless septic, the imaging, the consultant and the decision about debridement and implant retention or revision by the timing and the organism, and the honesty with the patient about the complication.
A patient with a dislocated shoulder has an absent radial pulse. What do you do?
The vascular injury recognised, the reduction attempted promptly with the pulse reassessed, the vascular team called now if it does not return, the imaging, and the documentation. Say what you would do if the reduction failed.
A patient after a spinal fracture develops new leg weakness on the ward. What do you do?
A neurological emergency: the examination documented, the spinal precautions, the imaging now, the spinal team or the regional centre called immediately, and the transfer if needed. Say what you would tell the patient.
A patient on the trauma list has been nil by mouth for three days and keeps being cancelled. What do you do?
The patient's care: the nutrition, the analgesia, the pressure areas, the honesty about the delay. Then the list: the prioritisation conversation with the consultant and the theatre coordinator, the escalation if the delay is harmful, and the incident report if it is. Say what you would tell the patient.
System knowledge
Name three current pressures and link each to your specialty and your own experience. Know how your training is governed: the ARCP, the curriculum, the college and the GMC.
What are the biggest challenges facing trauma and orthopaedics in the NHS, and how do they affect training?
The elective waiting list and the surgical hubs, the trauma network and the major trauma centres, theatre productivity under GIRFT, the hip fracture standards, the workforce, and the effect on training lists. Link each to what you have seen.