Core curriculum of shoulder and elbow surgery: the proposal from the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow
Manuel Ribeiro da Silva, MD, PhDa,b,* , Alexander Van Tongel, MD, PhDc , Philippe Collin, MDd,e,f , Emilio Calvo, MD, PhD, MBAg , Mehmet Demirhan, MD, PhDh , Stefan Bauer, MD, PhDi , Olga Savvidou, MD, PhDj , Peter Domos, MD, FRCS(Tr&Orth)k,l,m, Hannan Mullett, MB FRCS (Tr&Ortho), PhDn , Roman Brzoska, MD, PhDo , Filippo Castoldi, MD, PhDp,q , Kilian Wegmann, MD, PhDr , Patric Raiss, MDr
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Keywords: Core curriculum (CC) Shoulder and elbow surgery Shoulder and elbow pathology Shoulder and elbow training program ESSSE-SECEC Shoulder and elbow subspecialization
Level of evidence: Educational StudyDevelopment of Curriculum
Background: Subspecialization in orthopedic surgery has become the standard approach due to the expanding body of medical knowledge. Shoulder and elbow surgery is a growing subspecialty, but it still faces challenges with undefined training standards, unclear competency levels, and a lack of delineated professional responsibilities. To address this, the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbowsociete european chirurgie epaule et coude (ESSSE-SECEC) aims to create a core curriculum (CC) to standardize knowledge and skills within this field.
Methods: The ESSSE-SECEC Qualification Committee developed a CC through a task force established in 2022. The curriculum is divided into 2 major sections, shoulder and elbow, further categorized into 5 areas: Basic Science, Diagnosis, Pathology, Nonoperative Treatment, and Surgical Treatment. The content was developed, reviewed, and approved by leading experts within the Society.
Results: The CC contains 72 headings and 259 specific subjects, encompassing key areas of knowledge, practical skills, and behavioral attitudes necessary for competence in shoulder and elbow surgery, offering a detailed framework for the subspecialty.
Conclusion: The ESSSE-SECEC CC establishes a foundational standard for shoulder and elbow surgeons. It provides a clear framework for knowledge and competency, supporting the future development of training and assessment tools within the subspecialty. Additionally, it aims to solidify the subspecialty’s identity and serve as a key tool for competency assessments within ESSSE-SECEC and beyond. © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/).