About BOTA
The British Orthopaedic Trainees’ Association, BOTA, was set up under the direction of Mr Richard Rawlins (pictured) in 1987 following a meeting in Oxford when 45 Senior Registrars met at a symposium entitled ‘Planning a career in Orthopaedic Surgery’.
It subsequently became affiliated to the British Orthopaedic Association. Since its foundation, the membership has increased from the founding 45 to the current level of in the order of over 1000 Specialist Registrars (and recently appointed consultants).
Orthopaedic Surgeons make up around 40% of the membership of the Royal Colleges, and as the largest surgical subspecialty we devolved from ASiT, the Association of Surgeons in Training, to represent the views of Orthopaedics specifically. However, ASiT and BOTA have a very good working relationship, and work together on many issues to represent surgical trainees as a collective.
The BOTA committee are elected by members at the annual AGM and are responsible to the day-to-day running of BOTA related business. Each training region has a local regional representative that acts as a link between the committee and that area. Each national area also has elected Culture & Diversity representatives.
Currently, full membership is available to all doctors holding an National Training Number in Trauma & Orthopaedics. As of 2010, junior membership is available to all other qualified doctors in approved training programmes (ie FY, CT or non-RTT ST) and more recently medical students, through BOTA and through our partner organisation, BOMSA.
Name
The name of the association shall be “British Orthopaedic Trainees Association”.
Objectives
To promote and improve the standards of orthopaedic training in the United Kingdom and to represent the interests of Trainees in Orthopaedic Surgery in the UK.
Membership
Full membership is open to those who are, at the time of application, a trainee in an SAC recognised training post in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery in the British Isles or are Consultants of less than two years standing.Junior membership is open to all trainees from graduation onwards who are, at the time of application, in a recognised training post in any branch of medical practice. From 2016, junior membership will be extended to medical students.Further applications may be considered at the discretion of the executive committee.
Meetings
There shall be an Annual General Meeting.Business Meetings may be held on other occasions decided by the Committee.The President shall call a Special Business Meeting within 28 days of receiving a request, signed by no fewer than thirty members specifying the nature of the business.Thirty Members shall form a quorum at Business Meetings.
Executive Committee and Officers
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and between eight and twelve elected Members. The Officers of the Committee shall be Members of the Association. There should be a President, Vice President, an Honorary Treasurer and an Honorary Secretary. The Officers must have served as members of the Executive Committee.
Two members of the Association shall sponsor candidates for election as Officers or Executive Committee members. The candidate can be proposed in absentia but the proposer and seconder must both be present at the meeting. The candidate and the proposer will have the opportunity to speak briefly prior to the election. The Officers and Committee members shall be elected annually by a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting. Terms of Office shall start on the last day of the Annual General Meeting. Some posts may be held for two years at the discretion of the executive committee. The President shall serve for one year. The President shall preside at Executive Committee meetings; in their absence the President shall appoint a deputy. If the President ceases to hold office during the term the Committee shall appoint a deputy. The proceedings of Executive Committee meetings shall be minuted by the Honorary Secretary (or a deputy).Six voting members shall form a quorum at Executive Committee meetings.The Executive Committee shall have the power to request the resignation of any member deemed by them to have been guilty of conduct contrary to the interests of the Association. Any member whose resignation is requested by the committee shall be suspended until the next business meeting when they shall have the right to appeal and enter a defence. The committee shall state the reasons for suspension and the majority vote of the members at that business meeting shall be final.The Executive Committee shall have the power to amend the composition of the Committee. Amendments shall be notified at the Annual General Meeting and the majority vote of the members at that meeting shall be final.The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt anyone who may assist in their work to attend or represent the Committee. Co-opted members of the Executive shall not have voting rights.A newly elected committee shall have the right, at their discretion, to ask the outgoing President to remain on the Executive Committee for a further one year in the post of ‘Past President’, to offer support and advice to the new committee.
Regional Representatives
Each Regional Training Program in Orthopaedic Surgery is entitled to elect a representative who acts as a link between the BOTA membership and the Executive.
Subscriptions and Finances
The committee shall determine subscriptions and changes shall be approved by a majority vote at a business meeting. No member shall be entitled to any of the privileges of the association while their subscription is in arrears. In the event of it remaining unpaid for two years they shall automatically cease to be a member.The financial year shall extend from 1st June to 31st May inclusive. The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for producing an annual report of the finances to the Annual General Meeting. The Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and President shall be authorised signatories for the Associations finances. No member shall incur any expense on behalf of the Association without the written authority of an Officer.
Alteration of Rules
The Constitution and Rules shall only be altered by a vote of at least two-thirds of those members present at a Business Meeting. The Honorary Secretary shall despatch notice of every proposed alteration to all members not less than fourteen days before than the date of the meeting. Fifty Members shall form a quorum at a meeting convened to alter the Constitution and Rules of the Association.
Constitution
Privacy Policy
British Orthopaedic Trainee Association (BOTA) is the Surgical Specialty Association for specialty training registrars in the United Kingdom. We are affiliated through British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), who are our governing body, registered charity and Company Limited by Guarantee.
Full membership is open to those who are, at the time of application, a trainee in an SAC recognised training post in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery in the British Isles or are Consultants of less than two years standing. Junior membership is open to all trainees from graduation onwards who are, at the time of application, in a recognised training post in any branch of medical practice. From 2016, junior membership will be extended to medical students. Further applications may be considered at the discretion of the executive committee.
We provide support for our members, with a focus on training, delivery of patient care. #notrainingtodaynosurgeonstomorrow
At BOTA, we take security, privacy seriously, for which information provided to us is kept secure and against any unauthorized access, loss, destruction, disclosure as per our compliance and legal obligations. We intend to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This outlines the law that governs and protects yourself, whilst being committed to protecting your data.
Please ensure that you read all terms and conditions, notifications, information provided and collected when we process and collect personal data about yourself, through our social media platforms and newsletter, listed below but not limited to the following:
Why do we collect the information and how do we use it?
At BOTA, we collect information from our members for the following:
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Enable administration of membership
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Marketing, communication, newsletter: to provide newsletter, advertising courses to current members, affiliated organisations and/or but not restricted to interested parties
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For compliance, legal, regulatory obligation
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Interested parties and third-party links, may be affiliated, linked through plug-ins, applications through our continuous effort to improve your experience with our collaborations. We are not responsible and not accountable to these links and would appreciate and encourage you to read their privacy policy carefully when you visit
Any queries regarding privacy policy please direct them to web@bota.org.uk, British Orthopaedic Assication, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE. You have rights to raise any queries, complaints through the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) but would greatly appreciate it if you would contact us prior to doing so.
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