As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the whole world, the frontline clinicians are tirelessly fighting to contain and manage the disastrous effects of the virus from their communities. Stress, despair, fear, physical and psychological burn out, decreased work out put and lowered morale are some side effects this endless battle has had on the frontline healthcare worker. Although there have been many accounts of surgeons working in the frontline, there have only been few reflections on this ongoing battle from the junior clinician’s point of view. In this article, we feature the perspectives of young residents from the orthopaedic unit at the epicenter of the COVID-19 fight in Singapore. We highlight the thoughts, fears, emotions, morale, motivating factors and reflections of junior clinicians while they work at frontlines. Fear in a dangerous new environment and amidst uncertainty is natural. However, a doctor’s call of duty goes far above fear.

Introduction: Orthopaedic surgery is physically demanding. Surgeons may have to work long unpredictable hours especially during residency training. This arduous task comes with the risk of burnout leading to negative repercussions to the surgeon and the patient. In view of strategising peer support, we intend to review the literature and analyse whether orthopaedic resident burnout is a global issue. We also intend to derive common strategies to tackle burnout at individual and organisational levels. Materials and Methods: A literature search was carried out in the databases including PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and Google Scholar to shortlist studies dealing with orthopaedic residency and related burnout. Those studies that used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for quantifying burnout were collectively interpreted. Other studies were reviewed to analyse the vulnerability, risk factors, consequences and management strategies related to burnout. Results: Among a total of 72 titles shortlisted, eight studies independently reported burnout among orthopaedic surgery residents/trainees and used MBI as a tool for assessing burnout. Based on the three subscales of MBI, 37.2% had high degree of emotional exhaustion (EE), 48% had high degree of depersonalisation (DP) and 33.1% perceived low personal accomplishment. This signifies the high prevalence of burnout among orthopaedic residents/trainees. Conclusion: Burnout among orthopaedic surgery residents seems to be a universal problem. Risk factors could be multifactorial, influenced by clinical competency and workhome environment. This can be tackled at the individual level by being aware of burnout syndrome, involving in adequate physical activity and spending quality social time; and at the organisational level by duty hour limitation, professional appreciation and mentorship programme.