I applied to the Senior Spinal Fellowship at the NGH as the first of two planned fellowships.
Having completed 18 months of spines during my Orthopaedic training, and with an
intended career in adult practice, the varied trauma and elective practice at the NGH with
an array of supportive consultants granted the perfect environment for the next steps in my
training.

My fellowship year was primarily at the NGH, with regular paediatric operating and clinics at
the Children’s Hospital across the city. As the fellowship progressed, supervision became
more distant when appropriate to do so such that by the end of the fellowship, I had
independently performed lumbar discectomy/decompressions, cervical decompressions
both anterior and posterior, and fracture fixations in the thoracolumbar and cervical spines,
in addition to running a semi-regular injection list.

It has often been said to me that when I start as a consultant the biggest challenges won’t
be in the operating theatre (I’m not sure I believe this yet- time will tell!). On that note,
Sheffield offer a tremendously supportive consultant body with a thorough regular MDT, an
ethos to challenge the thinking of their fellows, and widespread experience and wisdom to
be handed down across many different facets of consultant life, be that leadership and
management at a local or national level, education (again at a national level), medicolegal
practice etc.

The candid advice from a number of my Sheffield mentors will be something I see myself
seeking time and time again.