ST3 Trauma and Orthopaedics is recruited nationally by NHS England, through Oriel. A single application covers every vacancy in the country.
| Stage | Date | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 10am, Thursday 19 November 2026 | Oriel |
| Applications close | 4pm, Thursday 10 December 2026 | Oriel |
| Interview window opens | Monday 11 January 2027 | Online |
| T&O interview dates | To be confirmed | Online |
| T&O self-assessment evidence upload and validation | To be confirmed | Separate portal |
| Initial offers released | By 5pm, Tuesday 13 April 2027 | Oriel |
| Hold deadline | 1pm, Wednesday 21 April 2027 | Oriel |
| Upgrade deadline | 4pm, Thursday 22 April 2027 | Oriel |
The national application window is three weeks and the deadline is not extended. The 2027 T&O applicant handbook will confirm the specialty specific dates for evidence upload, validation and interview once published, and this page will be updated when it is.
Applications rose by almost a third between 2024 and 2025 while the number of advertised posts fell.
| Year | Applications | Posts | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 684 | 150 | 4.56 : 1 |
| 2024 | 522 | 164 | 3.18 : 1 |
| 2023 | 483 | 160 | 3.02 : 1 |
Under the most recent T&O recruitment format, your self-assessment score is fixed at the point of application and cannot subsequently be increased.
Your evidence is then reviewed and validated. Strong achievements can still lose points if the supporting evidence does not clearly demonstrate the criterion being claimed.
Once the self assessment stage is complete, the interview is the main part of the process still within your control.
That sequence should determine how you prepare. Anything capable of earning further self-assessment points needs to be completed before the relevant application deadline. After that, the emphasis should increasingly move towards spoken interview practice.
Present your evidence so that an assessor who has never met you can find what they need without effort. Use numbered pages, a clear contents page for each domain, and flag the relevant evidence rather than burying it within a larger bundle. Poorly organised evidence is an avoidable way to lose points at validation.
If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your portfolio before you upload it, ask us when you book a mock or a coaching session.
Under the most recent published format, your final selection score is out of 234:
200 marks from interview
34 marks from validated self-assessment
A total of 146 out of 234 is required to be appointable.
The interview has consisted of a single online circuit with four ten-minute stations, with two interviewers scoring independently in each station.
85 videos across all four stations: commitment to specialty, clinical, prioritisation and communication. Each works through a scenario spoken aloud at the pace you would use on the day, then takes the answer apart against the domains that station is actually marked on. Access runs for six months from purchase.
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery Registrar, Step2Ortho Lead
MBChB BSc MBA PGCME MRCS (Ed)
About Me: I’m a specialty registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, and I lead Step2Ortho.
My Role: I built the orthopaedic video bank and run our mock interview circuits, and I teach on the SFP and ACF courses.
Background: I ranked in the national top 5% in 2025 T&O ST3 recruitment. Before that I completed an academic foundation post and received an ACF offer.
Interests: Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Education, Research.
Michael
Excellent resource for T&O ST3 – Oct 17 2026
Excellent resource for T&O ST3 preparation. The interview questions were challenging and mirrored the lateral thinking and thought process needed to succeed in the real thing. I particularly liked the hot topics section helped direct my wider reading, identify knowledge gaps and reinforced areas of strength. Would highly recommend to anyone preparing for higher specialty training in T&O surgery.
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