Orthopaedics is a specialised medical field that is dedicated to the study and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, and conditions or diseases that affect it such as a sporting injury, joint condition or chronic back problem.
Students of orthopaedics may go on to work in hospitals, doctor’s surgeries or in specialised environments such as sporting medical staff.
Postgraduate students of orthopaedics will typically have a background in general medicine already, going on to choose one of the specialist programmes across the UK, ranging in focus from surgical care to prosthetics and rehabilitation studies.
There are approx. 20 postgraduate programmes in orthopaedics at over 10 UK universities giving students a choice between MSc’s, MPhil’s, PgDip’s, PgCert’s and PhDs.
What to expect
In general, you will need to have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field such as medicine, nursing, or biomedical sciences. You may also need to demonstrate some related work experience.
The modules in orthopaedics will vary according to the type of course and university you pick but some common topics include anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, clinical governance, human biological science, materials, principles of prosthetic and orthotic design, trauma of the spine, response to injury and fracture biology.
Graduates with a postgraduate degree in Orthopaedics can pursue a variety of careers in the healthcare industry. Some of the common job roles include orthopaedic surgeon, orthopaedic technologist, orthopaedic nurse, orthopaedic physical therapist or orthopaedic sales representative.