Rolling admission · Istanbul · Delivered in English
Follow the arthroplasty pathway in an orthopaedic department — patient selection, implant planning, primary and, where scheduled, revision surgery, and early mobilisation — as a non-sterile observer.
What you see depends on the department's clinical calendar during your placement; the list below describes the department's usual scope, not a guaranteed programme.
Joint replacement is offered when symptomatic, radiographically confirmed arthritis continues to limit function despite adequate non-operative care — analgesia, weight management where relevant, physiotherapy and activity modification. The decision weighs pain and function against comorbidity, age, bone quality and the patient's expectations. Anaemia, diabetic control, skin condition and possible dental or urinary sources of infection are addressed beforehand, because periprosthetic joint infection is among the most serious complications. Observers see how the team explains benefit and risk, documents consent, and decides when optimisation must come before surgery.
Implant planning follows from the anatomy. On the hip, templating on calibrated radiographs estimates component size, centre of rotation, offset and leg length, and the team chooses between cemented, uncemented or hybrid fixation according to bone quality and age, together with the surgical approach. On the knee, the pattern of arthritis informs whether a unicompartmental or total replacement suits the patient, whether a cruciate-retaining or posterior-stabilised design is used, and how alignment is planned. Robotic-arm and navigated systems add an intra-operative planning layer; whether the host department schedules such cases during your dates is confirmed only after review.
Revision arthroplasty is a different conversation. Before a failed hip or knee is revised, infection has to be confirmed or excluded — inflammatory markers, joint aspiration and sometimes tissue sampling — because the answer changes the operation, at times into a staged procedure. Aseptic loosening, instability, wear and periprosthetic fracture each lead to different reconstructions and implant requirements. Revision cases are generally less frequent than primary replacements, so a two- or four-week placement, or a fellowship, gives more opportunity to follow one from work-up through theatre to the ward and the rehabilitation plan.
This page takes one strand of the orthopaedics and traumatology department: elective hip and knee replacement, from selection and templating through primary and revision surgery to early rehabilitation. Arthroscopic treatment of ligament, meniscal and sports injuries belongs to the knee arthroscopy and sports surgery focus, and upper-limb surgery to the shoulder and elbow focus.
Clinical-year students and graduate physicians heading for orthopaedics who want to watch an elective arthroplasty pathway run from clinic selection and templating to theatre and the first post-operative days.
Orthopaedic surgeons with a specialist qualification whose stated interest is primary and revision hip and knee replacement; over 12–24 months the orthopaedics department sets the allocation, so trauma lists and clinics sit alongside arthroplasty.
Both routes are strictly observational: observers attend theatre and clinic without patient contact, do not scrub or assist, and are not assessed on any procedure.
| Clinical Observership | Clinical Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1, 2 or 4 weeks (extension possible on request) | 12 to 24 months, agreed with the host department |
| Who it is for | Medical students in clinical years and graduate physicians from outside Turkey | Recognised specialists and family physicians seeking advanced exposure beyond standard specialty training |
| Format | Full-time, strictly observational — outpatient clinics, operating theatre, ward rounds, case discussions | Extended observational attachment to one department: daily practice, service structure and specific techniques |
| Certificate | Certificate of attendance issued by the host hospital and signed by its Medical Director | Certificate on completion issued under the accreditation of the affiliated university school of medicine |
| Start | Rotations typically begin on a Monday; dates are agreed individually | Start date planned around the date you request and the department's capacity |
One online application for both routes. State Hip & Knee Arthroplasty as your focus in your objectives; ATDERA reviews the file and prepares it for the Orthopaedics department, then replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
Already started? The application page picks up where you left off.
ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House No. 17173428, registered in England and Wales) coordinates this programme for a university teaching hospital in Istanbul. ATDERA is not a hospital and does not provide clinical care; admission decisions and certificates are the host hospital's.
One online application covers both routes and all twenty-one specialties — details, programme choice and documents in five short steps. ATDERA reviews the file and replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
