Approaches to the hip joint have been known to be asked in the past in the st3 orthopaedic recruitment rounds. Its essential therefore to have a good working knowledge of them. If you have not been fortunate enough to have exposure to all of the approaches prior to the ortho interview then fear not. There are plenty of videos online that you can watch to familiarise yourself with them.
I would place them in the following order in terms of level of importance for a core surgical trainee in the run up to the interview.
- Hardinge Direct Lateral Approach
- Posterior Approach (Moore or Southern)
- Anterior Approach (Smith-Peterson)
- Anterior Lateral Approach (Watson-Jones)
A detailed knowledge of the latter two would suggest a strong candidate, however there are probably more important things to learn to prepare for the interview. If performing an unfamiliar approach it is good practice to seek assistance, and to read it up in advance of performing the case.