Undertaking the Soft Tissue Knee Fellowship at Nottingham has been the most formative and enriching experience of my surgical career. Although I had already completed a 6-month fellowship training prior to starting at Nottingham, these six months have significantly surpassed my expectations — not only in terms of surgical volume and complexity but also in terms of mentorship, clinical independence, and academic opportunity.

I genuinely believe this fellowship offers one of the best training experiences in the UK for any surgeon seeking to specialise in Soft Tissue Sports Knee Surgery. The environment is dynamic, challenging, and intensely rewarding, designed for post CCT trainee who is looking to consolidate and expand their surgical skills in Sports Knee Injuries.

Over the six-month period, I completed 318 procedures, with 281 (88%) as primary surgeon and over 25% performed independently. This has given me not just operative confidence but also the maturity to manage unexpected intraoperative scenarios and to make autonomous decisions on my own surgical lists. This exposure was complemented by consistent industry support in theatre, which facilitated familiarity with current innovations and advanced instrumentation.

The case mix has been rich and varied, encompassing the full spectrum of soft tissue knee pathology:
– 78 complex soft tissue reconstructions, including:
– 60 primary ACL reconstructions, evenly distributed between hamstring, quadriceps, and bone–patella–tendon–bone (BPTB) grafts.
– 10 revision ACL reconstructions.
– 8 multi-ligament reconstructions.
– 70 Meniscal surgery, including ramp, root, and radial tear repairs using all-inside, inside-out, and outside-in techniques including meniscal allograft transplants.
– 18 osteotomies, including medial opening wedge HTOs, medial closing DFOs, double-level osteotomies and tibial tubercle transfers.
– MPFL reconstructions, trochleoplasty, and cartilage procedures, with increasing operative autonomy as the fellowship progressed.

One of the most defining aspects of this fellowship is the quality of mentorship. Mr Jimmy Ng has been more than just a supervisor; he has been a mentor, teacher, colleague, and friend. His unwavering commitment to training, his attention to technical detail, and his open, honest feedback have been critical to my development.

Mr Tom Kurien has also been instrumental in my learning. His thoughtful, structured teaching and quiet precision have had a lasting influence on my approach, particularly in theatre and during clinics. Both consultants have made my time in Nottingham not only educational but enjoyable and inspiring.

During the fellowship, I actively contributed to several local research studies, in addition, I participated in a quality improvement project evaluating the impact of an acute knee pathway, aiming to streamline diagnosis and management. These projects are anticipated to result in future publications and conference presentations.