This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Testimony from an EFORT visiting fellow: Six months training in Germany
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
David Alexandru Edelstein, based in Romania, had the opportunity to take part in a 6-month EFORT Visiting Fellowship in Germany in fall 2017. Here, he shares his experience, in a summarized version of his fellow’s report.
I remember the day when I received an email from EFORT congratulating me on receiving a 6-month fellowship; it was a happy day for me, receiving such great news. This meant a huge professional opportunity. Dresden was my first choice from the host centers, because Universitatsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus is renowned in Europe for the orthopaedic and trauma department, especially in the reconstruction specialty, and second, because the city itself is famous for its history and culture. This is why, when I found out I was selected for the EFORT fellowship program, I was glad and honored by this chance.
The overall pre-fellowship procedure, including the document-sending process, was easy and straightforward, and communication with both parties involved (EFORT and the O&U department of UKD “Carl Gustav Carus”) was prompt. Dresden is an amazing city and one of the greenest cities in Europe, full of history and providing an overall great experience with its Saxon culture.
The hospital is huge, with just the orthopaedic and trauma department spread across three buildings with roughly 1,300 beds and five operation theaters dedicated to the chronic orthopaedic patients alone. The program began daily at 7:30 a.m. with the morning conference. There were plenty of daily scrub-in opportunities for me. During my stay at UKD, I had the opportunity to refine my knowledge regarding primary total hip arthroplasty and especially have a better understanding of cementing technique. Also, I received clarification regarding intraoperative assessment and resolving problems like limb length discrepancy and achieving proper offset. I also had the chance to familiarize myself with surgical hip approaches that I had no previous experience with, like the minimally invasive one and the posterior one, which were done routinely there. Beside the new approaches, I had the chance to see a lot of new implants that I also wasn’t familiar with. One example is the dual-mobility cup, frequently used here, which gave me some new insights about approaching certain problems.
For instance, a pathology that is commonly under-diagnosed in Romania is femoro-acetabular impingement. Here at UKD, I had the opportunity to properly study this problem, starting from clinical presentation, clinical signs, imaging studies and finally, surgical resolution. I enjoyed participating in the treatment of a large number of patients with CAM deformity, most of them being treated with new techniques, like the arthroscopically assisted surgery.
Either during surgery or during the other non-surgical activities, I had the chance to ask a lot of questions and clarify certain issues. All of the doctors that I worked with were helpful in discussing cases, sharing experiences and sharing some tips and tricks.
In conclusion, my half-year training in Dresden was probably the greatest opportunity in my career so far, regarding my personal professional development. I had the chance to get a better understanding of adult joint preservation and replacements from masters in these techniques and to learn about new approaches, implants and receive important tips and tricks. Moreover, I had the chance to do networking and create friendships with orthopaedic surgeons from Germany and other European countries. Also, it has been a beautiful cultural experience, having the chance to meet new and interesting people, expand my knowledge of local tradition and history.
I would like to give my thanks, firstly, to EFORT and Smith & Nephew, which made this incredible professional experience happen, and I would like to give a big thank you to the staff of the O&U department at UKD, who treated me as one of their own for the 6-month period.
- For more information:
- All EFORT Fellowships
- EFORT Foundation Visiting Fellowship
- The European Orthopaedics & Traumatology Education Platform EOTEP: Lifelong learning for Orthopaedic & Traumatology Surgeons