Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 Interview Masterclass
Limb before list, standards before habit, and a first priority you can defend.
- 2027 interview dates not yet published
- ≈ 60 minutes (4 × 10-minute stations, online)
- Online
- 2 interviewers per station
- Competition
- 4.56:1
- Scenarios
- 16
- Stations
- 4
Competition: 684 applications for 150 posts (2025). Source: NHS England specialty recruitment competition ratios.
Recruited by NHS England — North East and Yorkshire (national T&O ST3 selection, not PHST).
Official recruitment information
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 recruitment
NHS England — North East and Yorkshire (posts across England and Scotland). Round described: 2027 round (partly published); interview format from the 2025 handbook.
2027 application dates and self-assessment scoring are published. The 2027 applicant handbook is not yet released, so the interview format shown is the latest available (2025 handbook). Last checked against the sources below on 6 October 2026. Always confirm details with the recruiting office before your interview.
2027 round — confirmed
- Applications open at 10:00 on 19 November 2026 and close at 16:00 on 10 December 2026, through Oriel.
- All interviews will be online.
- The 2027 self-assessment no longer uses an 'N number', and scores are not weighted against an N number calculation.
- ATLS (or equivalent) has not been an essential requirement for application since 2026.
2027 self-assessment domains (maximum points)
- Months in a primarily T&O placement after foundation, to end of July 2027 (up to 8; 10–36 months scores highest)
- At least 4 months in complementary specialties (up to 2)
- Wholly completed neck of femur fracture operations at STS or STU level, consultant-validated logbook (up to 4)
- Six or more consultant-validated ISCP PBAs at level 2 or above for neck of femur fracture surgery (1)
- Best two first-author PubMed-indexed papers (up to 4); best two other papers or an NIHR Associate PI role (up to 2)
- Best two national or international presentations (up to 4)
- Best two closed-loop audits, QI projects or collaborative projects (up to 2)
- Stand-alone higher degree or PG certificate (up to 2); leadership (up to 3); teaching (up to 3)
- Organisation and presentation of your evidence (up to 2; cannot be appealed)
Interview — latest published format (2025 handbook)
- A multi-station 60-minute online interview: four 10-minute stations, each with 5 minutes' reading time.
- Commitment to Specialty: career motivation, learning and development; leadership and team involvement; organisation and planning; communication (information giving); academic. The panel does not see your portfolio.
- Clinical: technical knowledge; problem solving and decision making; situational awareness; communication (information gathering and giving).
- Prioritisation: organisation and planning; communication; judgement under pressure; situational awareness.
- Communication: a scenario with a patient — technical knowledge, situational awareness, judgement under pressure, communication.
- Two interviewers score independently. In 2025, appointability required a minimum overall score of 146/232 (interview plus verified self-assessment).
Not yet published
- 2027 applicant handbook and person specification
- 2027 interview dates and any change to the four-station format
- 2027 appointability threshold
Sources
- NHS England NEY — National T&O ST3 Recruitment (2027)
- 2027 T&O self-assessment scoring system
- 2025 T&O ST3 applicant handbook (latest published interview format)
Everything else in the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery library — model answers, frameworks, scenarios and the mock interview prompts — is StepUp preparation guidance, not an official mark scheme.
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery resource library
46 written topics and 4 scored practice questions, organised the way the interview is.
Interview Format & Strategy
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Clinical Scenario
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Clinical Prioritisation
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Suitability & Commitment
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Surgical Experience & Logbook
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Communication & Consent
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Ethics & Professionalism
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Management & Leadership
UnlockPortfolio & Evidence
UnlockScored questions
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UnlockTrauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview: common questions
What is the T&O ST3 interview format?
The latest published applicant handbook (2025 round) describes a 60-minute online interview of four 10-minute stations — Commitment to Specialty, Clinical, Prioritisation and Communication — each with 5 minutes' reading time and two interviewers scoring five domains. The 2027 handbook had not been released when we last checked, so confirm the format when it is published.
Is ATLS required for T&O ST3?
No. NHS England North East and Yorkshire states that, as of 2026, ATLS (or equivalent) is not an essential requirement for application to ST3 Trauma & Orthopaedics.
How is the 2027 T&O self-assessment scored?
The published 2027 scoring system covers months in T&O, complementary specialties, completed neck of femur fracture operations and validated PBAs, publications, presentations, audit or QI, higher degrees, leadership, teaching and how well your evidence is organised. The N number weighting has been removed for 2027.
How competitive is T&O ST3?
In the 2025 round NHS England reported 684 applications for 150 Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 posts, a competition ratio of 4.56.