After you receive approval from the AO fellowship team, please contact your host center as soon as possible. The Human Resources Department will ask you to complete certain paperwork, and your acceptance will be confirmed only after these steps are completed.

During your stay, please be aware that you will not be insured against any illness or accident through either AO or the host center. It is essential to verify if your medical insurance extends coverage for medical treatment in foreign countries.

Additionally, please note that you will not be covered by malpractice insurance. If you lack insurance for these potential risks, we strongly advise you to arrange for coverage before departing for your fellowship.

Each host center has provided additional details on our host center webpage regarding the required documents and vaccinations. Additionally, it is essential to reach out to your host center promptly to inquire about any additional vaccinations that may be required. Be sure to organize your schedule in advance to not waist time on site with these matters.

Good knowledge of the working language of the host center, or a good command of English, are a requirement for an AO fellowship. 

Note that some host centers have regular staff meetings in local language.  

Please be aware that AO cannot facilitate accommodation arrangements. We recommend reaching out to your host center directly. Some host centers offer on-site accommodation located within the hospital premises, while others may provide links to nearby housing options.

Additionally, connecting with former fellows in the fellowship group on myAO 2.0 could be of help.

• Home | AO CMF Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO Spine Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO Trauma Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO VET Short-term Fellowship Group

Some host centers recommend that Fellows give a short presentation to staff as an introduction. We suggest that Fellows reach out to their host center to ask about these presentations or other ways to introduce themselves.

AO recommends that all fellows pursue the fellowship individually. This approach allows you to maximize your time with your hosts and fully benefit from this invaluable opportunity. Additionally, some host centers only offer single accommodations for fellows. If you wish to request alternative accommodations (e.g., for family), you will need to arrange and cover these expenses personally.

However, some fellows opt to organize a family visit towards the end of their fellowship. This can be a wonderful opportunity to share your new local experiences, such as culture, customs, and new colleagues, with your family or friends.

During your fellowship, you will receive a small stipend fund to contribute to your accommodation and living costs. 

Please note that the stipend is a contribution to the costs for travel, accommodation and meals and may not necessarily cover all the costs. AO is not able to arrange accommodation in the host country. Travel as well as insurance costs must be organized and funded entirely by the fellow.

The AO Fellowship stipends are calculated using a benchmark of USD 550 for 1 week's fellowship in the United States. The stipends for all other countries are adjusted for the local price level. To calculate the adjustment, the price level ratio of purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factor to market exchange rate provided by the World Bank is used. The stipends are paid in Swiss francs equivalents. You can find an overview of the current stipends for each country on our websites:

• AO VET Fellowships

• AO Trauma Fellowships

• AO CMF Fellowships

• AO Spine fellowship

• AO Recon Fellowships

The stipend will be transferred to your account upon confirmation of your arrival by the host center. Please note that the bank transfer may take up to 2 weeks. 

Please ensure that you provide the necessary international bank account information.

It is essential to confirm with your bank that you can access this account while abroad. Please be aware that stipend transfers made by the AO can only be directed to accounts registered in the name of the fellow. Transfers to accounts held under different names will not be processed. The AO will not be held responsible for any issues arising from errors in the payment instructions provided by the supplier on this form.

Extending your stay depends on availability and requires approval from your host center. Please note that any living expenses and accommodation costs incurred during the extension will be your sole responsibility.

No, this is not possible. 

A temporary leave of absence requires approval from both the head of the host department and AO Fellowship team. If a fellow wishes to leave before completing the full fellowship period for any reason, they must obtain permission from both the head of the host department and the AO. Please note that the stipend may be adjusted accordingly.

Yes. This will support you in your learning journey during your fellowship. Having completed both is a prerequisite to receive your AO fellowship certificate. 

We suggest that you to define your "Learning Objectives" latest 2 weeks before your fellowship starts. Please note that if you missed the deadline (start date -7), you won’t be able to modify your Learning Objectives in the portal. They would need to be sent by email, no adjustments possible after deadline.

To obtain your fellowship certificate a minimum of one entry for the "Reflection Journal" per week is mandatory. However, please feel free to add as many as you want. We suggest that you write down your latest learnings and experiences on a weekly basis throughout your fellowship. Guidelines on how to use your Reflection Journal can be found in the Fellowship Portal.

Yes. You will need to complete the questionnaire before your "Certificate" can be issued. 

Upon completing the questionnaire regarding your fellowship experience, you will be able to download a digital certificate immediately. Please note that we do not issue hard copy certificates.

To access the "Yearbook" feature within the Fellowship Portal, navigate to the "Community" section. Here, you can search for fellow participants by various criteria such as name, country, or year. Alternatively, you can utilize the "Host Center" world map, also located in the "Community" area, to find other fellows by focusing on a specific host center.

Through the MyAO 2.0 app, you can connect with both past and present fellows in the Short-term Fellowship groups.

• Home | AO CMF Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO Spine Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO Trauma Short-term Fellowship Group

• Home | AO VET Short-term Fellowship Group