Orthopaedics jobs

Orthopaedics jobs: frequently asked questions

Welcome to our orthopaedics jobs page, featuring the very latest roles across the UK, as well as frequently asked questions below.

What is orthopaedics?

Orthopaedics roles concern the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and subsequent conditions. Common associated issues include arthritis, bone fractures, joint replacements and osteoporosis.

You could work within the NHS or privately, and can operate from a specialist hospital ward or a community clinic.

Roles in orthopaedics can be at every level, from healthcare assistants and administrators to consultants and researchers.

What kind of duties do you have in orthopaedics?

What you do on a daily basis depends on your specific role. However, some responsibilities may include:

• Plastering or casting patients

• Preparing patients for procedures and treatments

• Preparing operating rooms for surgery

• Assisting surgery

• Administering medication

• Monitoring vital signs

• Explaining treatments and working with the families of patients

• Assisting with recovery from surgery and treatments

• Working with other specialists, like physiotherapists, to support patient recoveries

How do you get a job in orthopaedics?

There are many routes into a role in orthopaedics.

You could work as a healthcare assistant within an orthopaedics ward or specialist facility. There are no set entry requirements for becoming a healthcare assistant, although some providers will be looking for an NCFE CACHE level 2 or 3 certificate in healthcare support.

For an orthopaedics nursing role, you’ll often only need a degree in general or adult nursing. However, your employer may require some previous experience in orthopaedics, perhaps from during your studies.

As an orthopaedics practitioner, you’ll need to do some specialist training. And to become an orthopaedics consultant or surgeon, you’ll have to do a 5-year degree in medicine, 2 years of rotation work, and then a few more years of dedicated work and study with an orthopaedics specialism.

Other roles may be available without specialist qualifications, including some administrative positions.

How much does a job in orthopaedics pay?

Because orthopaedics roles vary widely in terms of seniority and responsibility, so does pay.

As a healthcare assistant in orthopaedics you’re likely to earn somewhere between £18,000 and £21,000.

As an entry level Orthopaedic Nurse without specialist qualifications you’ll earn a Band 5 salary, which is currently £24,907 a year. This can rise to £30,615 a year with enough experience.

At a more senior level or with specialist qualifications you could hit Band 6 or 7 with salaries ranging from £31,365 to £44,503.

Meanwhile, as an orthopaedics consultant or surgeon, you could expect to earn well in excess of £60,000 to £70,000, once you have achieved the requisite number of years of specialist experience.

Find your next orthopaedics role today

View our latest roles above, or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, create an account, register your CV here, and we’ll send you the latest positions as soon as we get them.