Core curriculum of shoulder and elbow surgery: the proposal from the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow

Manuel Ribeiro da Silva; Alexander Van Tongel; Philippe Collin; Emilio Calvo; Mehmet Demirhan; Stefan Bauer; Olga Savvidou; Peter Domos; Hannan Mullett; Roman Brzoska; Filippo Castoldi; Kilian Wegmann; Patric Raiss

doi:10.1016/j.jseint.2024.10.010

Core curriculum of shoulder and elbow surgery: the proposal from the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow

JSES Int. 2024 Nov 16;9(2):343-345. doi: 10.1016/j.jseint.2024.10.010. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Authors

Manuel Ribeiro da Silva^{1

2}, Alexander Van Tongel³, Philippe Collin^{4

5

6}, Emilio Calvo⁷, Mehmet Demirhan⁸, Stefan Bauer⁹, Olga Savvidou¹⁰, Peter Domos^{11

12

13}, Hannan Mullett¹⁴, Roman Brzoska¹⁵, Filippo Castoldi^{16

17}, Kilian Wegmann¹⁸, Patric Raiss¹⁸

Affiliations

¹ Shoulder and Elbow Unit, Orthopaedic Department - Hospital CUF Porto, Porto, Portugal.
² 2 Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
³ Department of orthopedics and traumatology - Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.
⁴ CHP Saint-Grégoire, Paris, France.
⁵ Clinique Victor Hugo, Paris, France.
⁶ Hôpital Américain, Paris, France.
⁷ Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology Koc University Istanbul Turkiye, Istanbul, Turkiye.
⁹ Shoulder and Upper Limb Center de la Côte, EHC, Vaud, Switzerland.
¹⁰ First Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Medical School, ATTIKON University General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
¹¹ Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, London, UK.
¹² Royal Free London NHS FT, London, UK.
¹³ Fortius Clinic London, London, UK.
¹⁴ Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin, Ireland.
¹⁵ St. Luke's Hospital, Bielsko-Biala, Poland.
¹⁶ Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology University Hospital S Luigi, Torino, Italy.
¹⁷ School of Medicine University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
¹⁸ OCM, Munich, Germany.

Abstract

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 Elbow-societe 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.

Keywords: Core curriculum (CC); ESSSE-SECEC; Shoulder and elbow pathology; Shoulder and elbow subspecialization; Shoulder and elbow surgery; Shoulder and elbow training program.