SICOT e-Newsletter
Issue No. 40 - January 2012
SICOT News
Reports of the SICOT/EOA Trainee Day
 Ahmed Abdel-Azeem Lecturer of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Cairo University |
 Khaled Emara Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Ain Shams University |
As part of the co-operation between SICOT and the Egyptian Orthopaedic Association (EOA), the SICOT Trainee Day was held during the EOA Annual Meeting on Monday, 12 December 2011. Its aim was to give young surgeons (younger than 40 years of age) the opportunity to present their work in front of an audience from around the world. This allowed them to gain more experience and definitely helped them improve their presentation skills.
The EOA Annual Meeting was held in a very luxurious hotel in the outskirts of Cairo. Our meeting was held in one of the large halls which surprisingly was almost full of participants from different generations. This added a special taste to the meeting especially during the open discussion at the end.
The meeting was divided into 5 sessions. We had 2 plenary lectures given by senior surgeons and 23 papers presented by young Egyptian surgeons. It was interesting to have many surgeons from different institutions and regions of Egypt, as it meant that there were surgeons from University and Ministry of Health hospitals. They successfully presented their work which covered almost all aspects of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. Most of the presentations were very informative and clear.
The overall evaluation of this day was really good. The moderators were always giving feedback to the young surgeons about what went well and what could be done differently in the future, for example sticking to the time limit and confidential data about patients. The scientific content of the presentations was very impressive and it reflected the level of good training that they had.
After the meeting ended, there was a very useful discussion between surgeons belonging to different generations about how this meeting could be improved, such as holding it on two separate days to include more time for discussion and having an award for the best presentation as motivation for the younger generation.
We hope that it will continue on a regular basis and that it will include also presentations by surgeons from other countries to help the younger generation expand their knowledge, skills, and international relations.
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Prof Galal Zaki Said, Prof Khaled Emara (Chairman of the meeting)
and Prof Mohamed Fadel moderating a session
The speakers with the senior surgeons at the end of the day
Werner Knopp
Department of Traumatology, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery
Saarland University Medical Center
Homburg/Saar, Germany
"SICOT Ambassador"
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Teaching and enhancement of education are some of my favoured subjects. As a duty of senior staff, we are dedicated to training the next generation of physicians and surgeons and constantly improving our teaching methods.
As I had the chance to visit the 63rd Annual International Conference of the Egyptian Orthopaedic Association (EOA)Â in lovely Cairo, I followed with interest the SICOT/EOA Trainee Day. It was interesting to share new experiences with young surgeons and to see their improvement over time, because I have met many of them during my last visits here or during fellowships at our university medical centre. At the end of the Trainee Day, the board invited me to share my impression at the closing discussion.
First of all, I was really impressed by the talks concerning recent trends. They gave a good overview of the state of the art. I saw very good talks describing operative methods as well as videos of these techniques, showing how to perform them properly. I found the discussion at the end of each presentation very interesting, addressing young surgeons on how they can improve their presentation skills. The Trainee Day falls definitely into the category of support for lifelong learning.
Since I have been asked for possibilities of improvement, I suggest the following ideas:
One lecture at the beginning should show what the essentials are in presenting a good lecture. This lecture could continue the already started discussion about the best method. In the future these subjects could deal with the improvement of learning strategies.
The best way of presenting a new operative method is with a video.
I would recommend inviting an experienced surgeon to share his own experiences and improvements concerning a special operative procedure.
The Trainee Day should be divided into sections according to special topics.
Discussion is what everybody needs; young or experienced. Discussion needs time, so the time limit for each talk should be observed, allowing for more time for discussion. Also, a round table discussion between different generations should be considered.
At the end of each section, the moderators could draw a conclusion of what has been learned and present a "Take Home Message" on the screen by their laptop.
Sitting together and meeting new friends is also an important issue. This is why I would like to recommend a break for a lunch buffet in the middle of the day.
Competition in a respectful manner helps to improve our skills. Granting awards for the three best talks and videos, elected by the audience, would be rewarding for these young speakers at the end of the day. The awards could be announced and presented at the closing ceremony, so the whole congress can monitor this event.
I advise young surgeons to follow this Trainee Day and bring in their own experiences, helping to make this exciting day even better. Being good is not enough. Constant improvement is.
With special thanks to Prof Fadel and Prof Emara, who did a great job.
Looking forward to meeting you again at the next SICOT/EOA Trainee Day!
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