FRCS (Tr &Orth)

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Trauma and Orthopaedics - FRCS (Tr & Orth)

Introduction

Obtaining the Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS (Tr & Orth)), by successfully passing all parts of the Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Trauma and Orthopaedics, is a mandatory requirement for the award of the "Certificate of Completion of Training" (CCT) or the "Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration" (CESR). 

This allows the surgical trainee to formally demonstrate that he or she has achieved the required standard of clinical competence of a newly appointed consultant in Trauma and Orthopaedics. In line with the Postgraduate Board's statutory requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC), the examination is regulated by the "Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations" (JCIE), on behalf of the four Royal Surgical Colleges of Great Britain and Ireland.

Requirements and Regulations

• The applicant must  hold  a medical  qualification  recognised  for registration  by  the General Medical  Council  of  the  United  Kingdom  or  the  Medical  Council  of  Ireland.    
• The  applicant  must  have  been  qualified for at least six years.
• The applicant must provide evidence of having reached the standard of clinic competence defined in the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum either for the award of the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) by the General Medical Council Postgraduate Board, or for the award of Certificate of Specialist Doctor (CSD) by the Irish Postgraduate Training Committee (ISPTC). 
• The  required standard may have been achieved through training or qualifications, and experience considered together. 
• The passing of the Intercollegiate Specialty Examination alone does not imply that the CCT, CSD (Ireland) or placement on the Specialist Register will be automatic; the Examination will form only part of the evidence required.
• Candidates will have up to a maximum of 7 years to complete the examination process as follows: 
• Section 1:  Candidates will have a two year period from their 1st attempt with a maximum of 4 attempts with no re-entry. Candidates  who  have  achieved  the  required  standard  in  Section  1  and  have  been granted eligibility to proceed to Section 2, the following will apply:  
• Section 2:  Candidates will have a maximum of 4 attempts with no re‐entry. 

Section 1 of the Exam

Section 1 will be a written test* composed of a combination of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ single best  answer; 1  from 5) and Extended Matching Item questions  (EMI). 

Each paper will be carefully prepared  to cover the curriculum content which can be best assessed in this way. A process of standard setting will then be performed by trained and experienced examiners and this will set the pass mark for the paper. 
Candidates must meet the required standard in Section 1 in order to gain eligibility to proceed to Section 2.  

Paper 1 - 110 Single Best Answer [SBA] (2 hours)  

Paper 2 - 135 Extended Matching Items [EMI] (2 hours 30 mins)

Note: Applicable to all Section 1 examinations from 1 January 2021 the format will be as follows: Paper 1 - 120 Single Best Answer [SBA] (2 hours 15 mins); Paper 2 - 120 Single Best Answer [SBA] (2 hours 15 mins).

Section 2 of the Exam

Recommended Books for FRCS (Tr & Orth)

Essential Books

Postgraduate Orthopaedics: The Candidate's Guide to the FRCS (Tr & Orth) Examination

Postgraduate Orthopaedics: The Candidate's Guide to the FRCS (Tr & Orth) Examination – 2017

Price: £91.56 Paperback, £53.30 Kindle Edition

The third edition of Postgraduate Orthopaedics has been fully updated, revised and expanded to meet the challenges of a continually changing exam format, providing detailed core orthopaedic knowledge and insight into tactics and pre-exam planning to increase a candidate's chance of success. 

Written by a core of authors chosen specifically for their knowledge of the key factors for exam success, this edition includes more illustrations and diagrams and additional exam-focused material for the trickier areas of the syllabus. The trauma chapter has been separated into four distinct sections to improve the overall trauma content. 

The book also includes a dedicated chapter on what books to read, reflecting the fact that this area has become more complicated in recent years, and an applied basic science chapter, which focuses on basic science viva questions in detail. This guide continues to evolve and has established itself as the definitive text for the FRCS (Tr & Orth) exam.

Postgraduate Orthopaedics: Viva Guide for the FRCS (Tr & Orth) Examination

Postgraduate Orthopaedics: Viva Guide for the FRCS (Tr & Orth) Examination – 2012

Price: £58.99 Paperback, £47.00 Kindle Edition

This book has been written specifically for candidates sitting the oral part of the FRCS (Tr & Orth) examination. It presents a selection of questions arising from common clinical scenarios along with detailed model answers. The emphasis is on current concepts, evidence-based medicine and major exam topics. 

Edited by the team behind the successful Candidate's Guide to the FRCS (Tr & Orth) Examination, the book is structured according to the four major sections of the examination; adult elective orthopaedics, trauma, children's/hands and upper limb and applied basic science. 

An introductory section gives general exam guidance and end section covers common diagrams that you may be asked to draw out. Each chapter is written by a recent (successful) examination candidate and the style of each reflects the author's experience and their opinions on the best tactics for first-time success. If you are facing the FRCS (Tr & Orth) you need this book.