How to Become an Orthopaedic Surgeon in the Middle East

There is no single route to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon in the Middle East. Each country runs its own training and certification, and three systems cover most Gulf trainees: the Saudi Board in Orthopaedic Surgery run by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), the Arab Board of Health Specializations, and the UAE's Emirati Board programmes accredited by the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS). Each is a five-year residency after internship. This guide sets out entry, training and exit for each from the official documents. For how these compare with the UK, US and other systems, see the hub guide to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon.

The main routes at a glance

Saudi Arabia: the Saudi Board in Orthopaedic Surgery

History and scale

The Saudi Board orthopaedic surgery curriculum (opens in a new tab) records that the first structured orthopaedic residency in Saudi Arabia began on 1 April 1994 as "The Joint Board for Postgraduate Medical Education" in Riyadh. The Saudi Board of Orthopaedic Surgery was launched in 1998 under the SCFHS. Across all specialties, the SCFHS reports 172 Saudi Board specialties and programmes and 191 accredited centres in the Kingdom and other GCC countries.

Who can apply, and how are applicants ranked?

The SCFHS Saudi Board page (opens in a new tab) lists the application requirements:

• A bachelor's degree in a health specialty from a Saudi university or a recognised equivalent, with the academic record (an official GPA statement if the degree certificate has none).
• A certificate of internship completion, with the internship ending before the programme starts.
• A pass in the Saudi Professional License Exam conducted by the SCFHS; results are valid for five years.
• Medical fitness.

The SCFHS trainee FAQ (opens in a new tab) sets the ranking formula for general-specialty programmes: professional licensing exam 55%, GPA 30%, CV 15%. The system keeps your highest licensing-exam score. Non-Saudis may apply to all programmes, but Saudi applicants have priority for admission and nomination.

The 2026 cycle shows the timetable. The application portal was open from 12 to 28 January 2026; evaluation scores were announced on 11 May; shortlisted candidates were interviewed between 9 June and 9 July; candidates and programme directors then ranked preferences; results were announced on 20 August; and training began on 1 October 2026.

The SCFHS also runs a Flexible Training Track for employed practitioners, nominated by their employer rather than applying directly. It leads to the same Saudi Board certificate and examinations, but progression depends on demonstrated entrustable professional activities rather than time on rotations.

Five years of residency

The curriculum describes a five-year programme with junior and senior phases:

• Years 1–3 (junior residency): principles of surgery, basic sciences, general orthopaedics, trauma and other orthopaedic specialties.
• Years 4–5 (senior residency): more responsibility for emergency and elective admissions in trauma and the subspecialties, and supervision of junior residents.

The programme also includes rotations in non-orthopaedic specialties to build basic surgical skills, preoperative care, musculoskeletal imaging interpretation, management of ill patients and airway skills.

Residents present at weekly grand rounds and lectures, keep a procedure logbook, and must design and complete a research project with a faculty supervisor. Sitting the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) is mandatory for all residents, including those in their first year.

Saudi Board examinations

In the final year the programme director also completes a Final In-Training Evaluation Report (FITER), alongside sign-off of the logbook. Residents who pass every component of the final examination receive the "Saudi Board in Orthopaedic Surgery" certificate.

The Arab Board of Health Specializations

The Arab Board of Health Specializations operates under the Council of Arab Health Ministers of the League of Arab States. Its Scientific Council of Orthopaedic Surgery and training committee set the training requirements and the final examination, and accredit programmes such as the one at MBRU below. The Arab Board website was not reachable for this update, so we report only what its published orthopaedic documents and an accredited programme state.

The Council's orthopaedic logbook summary (opens in a new tab) (September 2021) sets out what trainees record each year and submit every October:

• Indicative procedures: for candidates entering training from 2021, 300 procedures are needed by the end of training to be eligible for the final examination, and at least half must be performed by the trainee (supervised with the trainer scrubbed or unscrubbed, or unsupervised). The list includes 30 compression hip screws, 20 hemiarthroplasties, 30 external fixators, 30 intramedullary nails, 40 plate fixations, 40 K-wire fixations, 25 arthroscopies, 25 nerve decompressions, 20 osteotomies and 10 major joint arthroplasties.
• Scientific activities and courses: grand rounds, M&M meetings, journal clubs and similar, plus courses such as BLS, trauma, basic surgical skills, research methodology, patient safety, ethics and AO Trauma.
• Case-based discussions: from the 2021 intake, the earlier research project and 20-case summary were replaced by at least 70% attendance at Arab Board scientific activities and documented case-based discussions with the trainer.

Programme length is set at the accredited programme. The Mohammed Bin Rashid University (MBRU) orthopaedics and trauma surgery residency (opens in a new tab) in Dubai, accredited by both the NIHS and the Arab Board, is a five-year programme established in 2023 with a capacity of four residents. For the examination itself, see our Arab Board orthopaedics guide.

The United Arab Emirates: Emirati Board programmes

In the UAE, specialty training programmes are accredited by the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS), which awards Emirati Board certification. Under the NIHS certification and eligibility standards (opens in a new tab), certification requires an acceptable medical qualification, satisfactory completion of an NIHS-accredited programme attested by the programme director, and all NIHS assessments. Residents in, or graduates of, an accredited programme may sit the examinations. After completing training a surgeon is "Board Eligible" for four years; beyond that, another year of supervised retraining is needed before sitting the certification examination. The NIHS 2026 examination calendar (opens in a new tab) includes an Emirati Board final written examination in orthopaedic surgery.

Two UAE orthopaedic residencies publish their structure:

• Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi: five years (opens in a new tab), made up of six months in general surgery, emergency medicine and intensive care and 54 months in orthopaedics; two residents accepted each year; accredited by the Emirati Board; internship required.
• MBRU, Dubai: five years, NIHS and Arab Board accredited, four places, with junior rotations including general surgery, emergency medicine, critical care and the orthopaedic subspecialties, and senior rotations in oncology, spine, reconstruction and pelvis and acetabulum surgery.

Surgeons trained elsewhere

Surgeons who trained outside the region do not go through these residencies; they apply to the relevant national or emirate-level licensing authority for specialist registration, and each regulator sets its own rules on recognised qualifications and experience. Our overview of registering to practise abroad explains how registration, specialist recognition and immigration fit together, and IMG routes into orthopaedic surgery compares the training systems open to international graduates.

The Middle East routes compared

The three systems share a five-year residency entered after internship, a logbook and an exit examination, so they look more like the North American model than the UK's staged training. The Saudi Board publishes the most detailed curriculum and examination blueprints; the Arab Board's requirements centre on the logbook; and the UAE's Emirati Board programmes are small, with two to four places a year at the programmes above. For the side-by-side comparison with other countries, see the hub guide to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon.