Fellowships

The Centre for Spinal Studies and Surgery (CSSS) offers a range of clinical and research spine surgery fellowships.


The Centre for Spinal Studies and Surgery (CSSS) is the designated regional speciality  AOSpine Center for Spinal Surgery offering dedicated 24hr spinal on-call facilities. CSSS performs the entire range of spinal surgery, covering all pathologies from trauma to deformity and tumour surgery including intraspinal procedures. Over 1000 surgical cases are performed per year and  over 4000 new patients are seen annually. The specialist catchment area of CSSS extends to approximately 4 million inhabitants. CSSS is situated in Queens Medical Centre Campus of Nottingham University Hospitals but also provides the Spinal Surgery consultation service for specialties situated at the City Hospital Campus. Nottingham University Hospitals provide 1700 beds across both campuses, making it one of the largest University Hospitals in the country. CSSS is an accredited fellowship site of the Spine Society of Europe.

This fellowship post has been approved by the Royal College of Surgeons. Six full-time posts are supported each year. The fellowships commence in February and August of each year for 12 or 24 months. Clinical Fellows must have completed Orthopaedic or Neurosurgical residency and are expected to perform at junior consultant level. Fellows are allocated to consultants for six month rotations. Different rotation patterns are available, covering spinal deformity, degenerative conditions and tumours of the spine in accordance with the fellow's area of interest and development during the fellowship. The fellow is expected to lead the clinical work of the consultant he or she is assigned to and appraisals take place on the first Tuesday of each December and June. Provisions have been made for an optional 4-6 week rotation to Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Colorectal Surgery and ENT for each fellow to enhance exposure to access related surgical techniques. Fellows on 24 month posts are expected participate in an external rotation of 8-12 weeks to another spinal centre. CSSS cooperates with several international spine centres and this is undertaken in accordance with the fellows career goals. 24 month fellows commence with an additional research commitment during the first 12 months. The post attracts standard tariff salary with a dedicated spinal on-call commitment.

Clinical and research fellowships are available on yearly basis. Prospective candidates are welcome to visit the unit prior to applying. Please contact the consultants' secretaries listed below

An announcement will be made on this webpage for the next application date. 

The Nottingham Advanced Spinal Surgery Fellowship

Clinical EANS spine surgery fellowships:

CSSS is a recognised EANS spine surgery fellowship site and hosts selected EANS trainees for a duration of 8-12 weeks. Fellows are preselected by the EANS and confirmed by CSSS subsequently. Please follow this EANS Fellowship link for further information.

 

Synthes - Asiapacific clinical spine surgery fellowships:

One post is awarded each year in cooperation with Synthes for select fellows of the Asiapacific region. These fellowships are DePuy Synthes  Applications should be directed towards Mr Khalid Salem . Shortlisted fellows are subsequently interviewed by CSSS for final selection.

 

How to apply:

Applications for the senior clinical and research spine surgery fellowships are accepted during the month of October and the month of April of each year, please contact Sally Skinner ( Sally.Skinner@nuh.nhs.uk ) regarding applications. The EANS and Synthes fellowships need to be applied for separately (please see information above). Applications are accepted up to two years in advance. Applicants are encouraged to visit CSSS prior to applying. Please contact Dr. Donna-Marie Urbanowicz.( Donna-Marie.Urbanowicz@nuh.nhs.uk ) or any of the consultants (details below) to arrange a visit. The Head of Service can be contacted for information on CSSS.

Applications need to include:

  • A full CV detailing the training institutes and trainers of the candidates 
  • A short cover letter detailing the applicants interests and career aspirations 
  • A minimum of two referees that are willing to be contacted regarding the applicant 
  • A summary of surgical experience relative to spinal surgery 
  • A completed competency form (download here)
  • A list of peer reviewed publications and presentations at national and international spine meetings

Shortlisting is completed by the 1st of December and 1st of June with shortlisted candidates being informed during the week thereafter. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews are held twice a year on the first Friday of January and the first Friday of July at CSSS in Nottingham. In exceptional circumstances candidates can be interviewed by telephone.

All fellows will need full GMC registration in order to participate in direct clinical care. Please review the conditions of the GMC on their website. CSSS holds sponsorship status with the GMC and may provide sponsorship for registration of non-EU graduates for select highly qualified individuals. This scheme - which currently is unique in the UK for spinal fellowships - provides the applicant with full temporary registration with the General Medical Council.

Non native English speakers will be required to provide evidence of language proficiency via the IELTS.

Fellowship posts cannot commence until language proficiency and GMC registration have been provided.

Fellowship accomodation

Derwent Living is a not-for-profit organisation that provides staff accommodation for NHS workers. They provide single accommodation at the Queens Medical Centre and family accommodation at the City Hospital.

For further information on accommodation and transport please visit the contact us page.

Information for Observers and Visitors

We welcome clinical visitors and observers to our department. If you are interested and would like to apply then the following information about the process will be useful.

Before you apply...

Before applying you will need to provide:

  • A copy of your CV
  • A letter of recommendation / supporting letter from your employer
  • When you are planning to come and how long you would like to visit for 
    (Please note that if you originate or lived in countries with high incidents of tuberculosis and you are coming to visit the unit for less than 2 weeks, you cannot scrub in until further blood test have been done. This takes at least 1-2 weeks for your blood test to be known. If this applies, please contact Nottingham Occupational Health Health Clearance Department at 0115 962 7646)
  • An indication of what types of surgery you will be most interested in (i.e. Scoliosis / degenerative lower back disorders, etc.)
  • Your address so that we can send you written confirmation

DBS and Occupational Health checks

If you are also intending to participate in patient care (e.g. being allowed to scrub in for cases, attend clinics etc) then you will need to apply for a DBS check (Criminal record check) under UK law. 

For further details please contact Human Resources:

Kieran Brown - kieran.brown@nuh.nhs.uk

Your application

Guests wishing to attend surgery or clinics will need to register with our Human Resources Department and complete the following documentation in order to ensure indemnity and patient safety.

  • A valid VISA (subject to your dates and length of stay)
  • A Work Health Assessment Questionnaire

Please note that a £75 administration cost will also be required.

Who to contact

ext 81013 -  Dr. Donna-Marie Urbanowicz  (Fellowship  Co-Ordinator)

 

Local links and accommodation:

Travel Information: