Michael T Hirschmann, Elmar Herbst, Giuseppe Milano, Sebastien Lustig, Berte Boe, Roland Becker, Daniel Haverkamp, Stefano Zaffagnini, Etienne Cavaignac, Robert Prill, M Enes Kayaalp, Michael Hantes, Romain Seil, Andrej Nowakowski, Johannes Beckmann, Andreas M Müller, Karl Eriksson
Orthopaedic surgical education is changing as robotics, artificial intelligence, digital planning, advanced imaging and data-driven decision-making reshape clinical practice. At the same time, residency training is increasingly influenced by duty-hour regulations, well-being initiatives, burnout prevention and evolving expectations regarding work-life balance. This editorial reflects on the challenge of protecting trainees from fatigue and exploitation without protecting them from the clinical experience required to develop surgical excellence. Exceptional orthopaedic surgeons are not formed by technology or minimum exposure alone, but through deliberate practice, curiosity, reflection, responsibility, mentorship and sustained professional commitment. As digital technologies increasingly support routine tasks, human qualities such as judgement, empathy, leadership, communication and the ability to manage uncertainty will become even more important. The future of orthopaedics will therefore depend not only on innovation, but also on how surgical training cultivates professional identity, passion, purpose and excellence.