Teaching PROGRAMME
The Department of Hand Surgery runs a formal teaching programme which is open to all clinicians and allied health professionals with an interest in hand surgery. Weekly teaching meetings are conducted each Wednesday at 7:00am (Kolling Building, Royal North Shore Hospital). The programme can be obtained from the Department Secretary (Email: NSLHD-Handsurgery@health.nsw.gov.au).
The Department also conducts a structured teaching programme for orthopaedic and plastic surgery trainees. Department staff regularly provide hand surgery education sessions to GPs, nurses, allied health and other specialty groups.
At a national and international level, Department staff are invited to many conferences as lecturers. Professor Tonkin has lectured extensively worldwide. Drs Beard, Lawson and Stewart participate in annual educational charity missions to Vietnam and Cambodia. Dr Stewart was awarded the NSW Hand Surgery Association's Travelling Fellowship in 2016, presenting his work at hand surgery conferences in South Australia and Victoria. In 2017, Dr Lawson was the invited guest lecturer of the Chilean Hand Surgery Society.
COURSES
Specialty courses are organised by the Department of Hand Surgery, with the generous assistance of hand surgical colleagues who volunteer their time to lecture and assist participants.
The "Hand and Forearm Flap Course", supported by the Australian Hand Surgery Society, has been conducted in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018 at the Sydney Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre (Kolling Building, RNSH). This course has been very popular with orthopaedic and plastic trainees. Please check the SCSSC website for future courses (https://www.cskills.scssc.edu.au/) or email your interest to the Department (NSLHD-Handsurgery@health.nsw.gov.au).
Arthroplasty and DRUJ replacement workshops have also been conducted by the Department, In 2018 the Department hosted a Brachial Plexus Dissection Course.