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Objectives and questions: Full-scale military hostilities caused rapid redistribution of orthopaedic trauma surgeons between civilian and military facilities, threatening workforce capacity and continuity of care. This study analyses the impact of wartime conditions on the orthopaedic trauma workforce and evaluates educational and mentorship strategies aimed at maintaining professional competence, motivation, and retention within a national health system under sustained stress.

Material and methods: This retrospective descriptive study analysed workforce redistribution and educational initiatives implemented during active hostilities. Data sources included professional association records, documentation of participation in educational programmes, and structured expert consensus within the orthopaedic trauma community. No patient-level data were collected. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Organisational effects were synthesised through consensus analysis. Level of evidence was classified as Level D.

Results: A substantial proportion of orthopaedic trauma surgeons was redeployed to civilian hospitals providing care for both combatants and non-combatants injured by hostilities, while others were mobilised to military hospitals and forward medical treatment facilities, resulting in a genuine shortage of specialists. Key challenges included limited financial incentives, excessive workload, restricted access to structured professional development, and lack of protected time for documentation and registry participation. In response, targeted educational interventions were introduced: a structured mentorship system pairing senior surgeons with junior colleagues, regular hybrid case conferences, and supervised remote participation of junior surgeons in clinical decision-making. Training curricula were expanded to include simulation-based trauma education, trauma life support, and acquisition of emergency operative skills for thoracic, abdominal, pelvic, and complex limb trauma, with emphasis on orthoplastic techniques. Continuous professional education emerged as a critical motivational factor for retention of young surgeons within the specialty and the country. Mentorship functioned not only as an educational tool but also as an organisational and psychological intervention, reducing cognitive overload, supporting professional self-efficacy, and mitigating burnout through structured feedback and peer support.

Discussion and conclusions: Sustaining the orthopaedic trauma workforce during prolonged military conflict requires adaptive educational and mentorship models. Structured mentorship, simulation-based training, and expansion of emergency surgical competencies are feasible strategies to preserve clinical capacity, support young specialists, and reduce professional attrition. Institutionalising mentorship as a human-resources instrument in wartime may strengthen workforce resilience and maintain national surgical capability.