Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3)
Walk into your Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview already knowing how you will answer
Rehearse for your Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview against an AI interviewer who challenges your answers. Get feedback on any session you finish, in seconds.
What is the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview, and how do you practise for it?
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 national recruitment interview, run online by NHS England North East and Yorkshire: four 10-minute stations — Commitment to Specialty, Clinical, Prioritisation and Communication. Before each station there are 3 minutes of reading time (2026 round) when a document is shared, and two interviewers score each station independently. The panel does not have access to your portfolio. Here one examiner voice speaks for the panel, and the Communication role-player is simulated by voice. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.
Last updated 29 October 2026
About Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) recruitment
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery ST3, 2025 recruitment round (Round 2). NHS England competition ratios
- For 2027 entry, the national recruitment office for ST3 Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery is NHS England - North East and Yorkshire, recruiting to posts across England and Scotland.
- For 2027 entry, applications open at 10am on 19 November 2026 and close at 4pm on 10 December 2026, and all interviews take place online.
- For 2027 entry, the T&O self-assessment no longer uses an N number, and scores do not need weighting against an N number calculation.
- In the 2027 T&O self-assessment, 18 or more wholly completed operations for fracture of neck of femur (done STS or STU, in a consultant-validated logbook) score 4 points.
- The Yorkshire and the Humber T&O training programme is expected to last six years, subject to satisfactory progression.
- In the previous recruitment round, the T&O interview had four 10-minute stations: Commitment to Specialty, Clinical Judgement, Prioritisation and Communication, each assessed independently by two interviewers.
- In the previous recruitment round, applicants had to complete all parts of MRCS by the date offers were released, and were shortlisted for interview on their validated self-assessment score.
Checked on 13 October 2026 against National Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 Recruitment | Health Education Yorkshire and Humber, Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery 2027 National Recruitment Self-Assessment Scoring System, Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 | Health Education Yorkshire and Humber and Trauma and Orthopaedics ST3 2026 Applicant Handbook. Recruitment changes each year: confirm on the official pages before you apply.
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview practice, on demand
MedMock gives you an AI interviewer who challenges your answers, available 24/7. Pick a station, have a spoken conversation, and ask for examiner-style feedback when you finish, scored against what genuinely matters in the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3.
How it works
Choose a station
Choose the kind of question or scenario you want to rehearse — ethics, motivation, a role-play, and more.
Have the conversation
Speak naturally, out loud. The AI interviewer listens and asks the demanding follow-ups, just as a real interviewer would.
Get instant feedback
The moment you finish, you get specific, examiner-style feedback and a score — what you did well, what cost you marks, and precisely what to fix before the next attempt.
Practise every scenario
MedMock covers the stations you will face in the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview. Rehearse each one until it feels routine.
Commitment to Specialty
Questions on elements of your career and experience to date, after 3 minutes' reading. The panel does not have your portfolio, so you give your evidence aloud.
Clinical
A clinical scenario, read during 3 minutes of reading time and then discussed with the panel: assessment, investigation and management of a trauma or orthopaedic problem.
Prioritisation
A prioritisation exercise, such as a list of patients for a trauma meeting or an emergency theatre, read during 3 minutes of reading time. You rank it and justify your decisions to the panel.
Communication
A scenario involving communication with a patient, read during 3 minutes of reading time and then played out with a role-player — for example consent or explaining a cancelled operation. There is no practical task.
Sample Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) interview questions
Two questions from the topics that come up most in MedMock's Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) bank.
“A 70-year-old male patient is medically fit and well but has severe, debilitating knee osteoarthritis. He is refusing surgery because his friend had a bad outcome. Please explore his concerns and discuss the risks and benefits.”
“A 41-year-old man has sustained an open tibial fracture. You plan to take him to theatre for debridement and application of an external fixator. Please explain the procedure and obtain his consent.”
Example scenarios
A sample of the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 scenarios you can practise, each as a spoken conversation.
“Explain to a patient that their total hip replacement surgery has been cancelled due to an emergency trauma admission, managing their anger and frustration.”
“You are the on-call orthopaedic registrar with one emergency theatre. Rank a pulseless supracondylar fracture, an open tibial fracture and a fragility hip fracture, and justify the order.”
“A 25-year-old man has a suspected scaphoid fracture but normal initial X-rays. Discuss your assessment, imaging strategy and management plan.”
“Tell us about your career to date and what has confirmed that trauma and orthopaedic surgery is the right specialty for you.”
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) recruitment dates 2026–27
The next Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) recruitment date we hold is: Applications 19 November 2026 to 10 December 2026 (national Round 2). Checked against NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment on 24 September 2026.
Time until Applications 19 November 2026 to 10 December 2026 (national Round 2)
— d — h — m — sTrauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) is recruited through NHS England’s national recruitment round 2, which the national timeline says is for ST3/ST4 posts. Applications are made on Oriel.
Recruitment dates change. MedMock is not affiliated with NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment; confirm every date, application window and venue on the official site before you apply. NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) practice — your questions answered
How does the feedback work?
When you finish a station you can have it marked, and the scorecard comes back in seconds — what you did well, what cost you marks, and exactly what to work on next. Scorecards, mark schemes and model answers are included at no extra credit cost.
Can I practise specific Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 stations?
Yes. You can pick any of the 4 stations to drill a weak area, or run a mixed set to simulate the real interview.
How much does it cost?
You can start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, which is 30 minutes of speaking practice, with no subscription. After that, or at any time, you can choose a monthly plan, which includes a monthly credit allowance. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Formats change from year to year: check the official candidate guidance or applicant handbook from the body that runs your exam or interview (the Royal Colleges, NHS England, the GMC and others) for your sitting.
Ready for your Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview?
Rehearse real Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 scenarios out loud and get instant, examiner-style feedback.
- Instant, personalised feedback
- Real voice-to-voice conversation
- Repeatable attempts, a different run every time
Be ready for your Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview before you walk in
Start with the £5 taster, a one-off payment for 30 credits: practise Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview scenarios out loud and get any of them marked when you are ready.
Practise your Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 interview