The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University (Guangdong Orthopaedic Hospital) is the Third School of Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University (SMU), which was transferred from Guangzhou Post and Telecommunication Hospital as a whole to SMU in 2007 and became the Third Affiliated Hospital. It is a first-class hospital at Grade A, integrating medical treatment, clinical teaching, scientific research and health management. The hospital has 66 clinical departments and medical technology departments, 7 teaching and research sections and 1,500 beds. Awarded as an advanced unit in the national health system and a prominent unit in the national health emergency work, the hospital is home to Guangdong Orthopaedic Research Institute, national standardized training base for resident doctors and the quality control center of Guangdong Orthopaedic Department. There are more than 60 doctoral and master’s supervisors and 202 professional and technical personnel with senior titles. Orthopedics is a national key cultivation discipline as well as a provincial high-level key clinical specialty, Endocrinology and Metabolism is a provincial high-level key clinical specialty, and Nephrology a provincial key clinical specialty as well. In 2015, it was responsible for hosting the 36th SICOT Orthopedic World Congress. In terms of science and technology, the hospital ranked 60th in the Nature Index of China's top 100 hospitals.
