Well sourced · Missing original program page, application deadline, commencement date
— Primary programme source linked✓ Dated source review current✓ Current cycle evidenced✓ Faculty identity sourced✓ Institution mark verified
DECISION SUMMARY
What matters before you keep reading.
Eligibility
Requirements published
Funding
Self-funded and centre-funded routes are listed; Dutch and participation in the SOS Hand on-call rota are required for a funded route
Deadline
Not published
Duration
6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year; short visits are also offered
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Last checked
28 Aug 2026
Duration · published6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year; short visits are also offered
Clinical exposureElective and emergency hand surgery, wrist arthroscopy, microsurgery, congenital and reconstructive procedures, elbow and broader upper-limb surgery, theory and scientific activity
Funding · publishedSelf-funded and centre-funded routes are listed; Dutch and participation in the SOS Hand on-call rota are required for a funded route
DestinationBelgium
Participation levelClinical participation and hands-on restrictions must be confirmed directly with the host.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
What the official evidence currently supports
Decision-critical fields are separated into confirmed facts, partial information and points requiring direct confirmation.
—Not published
International applicant eligibility
The cited source does not explicitly confirm international-applicant eligibility.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Plastic- or orthopaedic-surgery background · Dutch-language ability and SOS Hand on-call participation for a funded route
✓Published by official source
Programme classification
Clinical or combined training pathway; exact duties remain appointment-specific.
?Confirm directly with host
Hands-on restrictions
Hands-on participation and operative restrictions are not explicitly published.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
Practising fellowships are listed, but Belgian registration and institutional credentialing remain mandatory before clinical participation.
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
Any examination requirement must be confirmed with the relevant regulator and host.
✓Published by official source
Language requirements
Dutch is required for a funded fellowship and on-call participation; requirements for self-funded observers are not separately published.
—Not published
Visa or work authorisation
Visa sponsorship and work-authorisation information are not published.
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Self-funded and centre-funded routes are listed; Dutch and participation in the SOS Hand on-call rota are required for a funded route
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
76% of core application fields verified
Checked 28 Aug 2026. Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-02-24. Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.
✓ programme title✓ institution / department✓ city and country✓ programme classification✓ subspecialty✓ current status evidence✓ duration✓ funding✓ accommodation / relocation✓ eligibility✓ language✓ registration✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— positions · not published by the cited official source— commencement / intake · not published by the cited official source— benefits · not published by the cited official source— international eligibility · not published by the cited official source— visa / work authorisation · not published by the cited official source— Current deadline not yet published · not published by the cited official source— Official programme page requires reverification · not published by the cited official source
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleDirect email application with a short motivation letter and curriculum vitae; no fixed deadline is published
Deadlines and intake dates can change between cycles. The data-quality ledger above explicitly labels application fields that the cited official source does not publish.
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
Published entry requirements
Clinical / academic eligibility
Plastic- or orthopaedic-surgery background
Dutch-language ability and SOS Hand on-call participation for a funded route
Registration, licence & examinations
Practising fellowships are listed, but Belgian registration and institutional credentialing remain mandatory before clinical participation.
Visa / work authorisation
Visa sponsorship or work-authorisation requirements are not stated by the cited source.
Application documents
Short motivation letter
Curriculum vitae
Licensing, visa and document rules depend on the individual programme and application cycle. OrthoFellow does not infer USMLE, AHPRA, ECFMG, recommendation-letter or visa requirements from the country alone.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
A flexible six-week-to-one-year Bruges hand-surgery pathway offering research, observation, practising, self-funded and centre-funded formats. The current FESSH listing publishes direct application instructions and says the centre welcomes fellows, but positions, intake dates, benefits, international eligibility and visa terms remain unpublished.
ACCOMMODATION & RELOCATION
Published housing information
✓ Official source mentions accommodation
⌂
Nearby accommodation is listed; cost and availability must be confirmed with the centre.
Housing availability, rent, deposits, utilities and relocation support can change by intake and appointment type. OrthoFellow does not estimate living costs unless an official source publishes them.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Orthoclinic Bruges / AZ Sint-Jan Brugge
The Bruges programme spans Orthoclinic and AZ Sint-Jan's FESUM SOS Hand service, with elective and hand-trauma surgery across plastic and orthopaedic faculty.
Principal contact and fellowship facultyOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
Orthoclinic / AZ Sint-Jan Brugge
Clinical focus
Hand and wrist trauma, congenital surgery, brachial plexus and complex reconstruction
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Filip Stockmans is listed in the cited programme evidence as principal contact and fellowship faculty for Orthoclinic Bruges Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand and wrist trauma, congenital surgery, brachial plexus and complex reconstruction. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Filip Stockmans is listed by the official programme source as principal contact and fellowship faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Francis Bonte is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Orthoclinic Bruges Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Francis Bonte is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Hanne Vandevivere is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Orthoclinic Bruges Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Hanne Vandevivere is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Bart Berghs is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Orthoclinic Bruges Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Bart Berghs is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Pieter Pierreux is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Orthoclinic Bruges Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Pieter Pierreux is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Names and fellowship roles come from the cited programme source. A green “individual profile verified” label means the position, qualifications and biography were also checked against an official personal or institutional profile. OrthoFellow displays a portrait only when it can be tied to an official profile or faculty source; otherwise the host institution brandmark is shown, with initials retained only when neither image is available. Faculty rosters may change.
APPLICANT PROFILE
Plastic or orthopaedic surgeons seeking modular hand-surgery training
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Published language requirement
Dutch is required for a funded fellowship and on-call participation; requirements for self-funded observers are not separately published.
OrthoFellow keeps language requirements separate from clinical eligibility. A programme may use English operationally without publishing a formal test score.
