Surgical Science MCh

Program Overview

The MCh in Surgical Science is a two-year part-time program for medical graduates seeking advanced surgical knowledge. The program includes taught modules, research methods training, and a research dissertation, enhancing participants' clinical, teaching, and research portfolios. It prepares graduates for surgical training or career advancement, fostering leadership and management skills.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The MCh in Surgical Science is a two-year part-time program designed for medical graduates seeking postgraduate education in surgery. It aims to enhance the academic understanding of the specialty, prior to or during surgical training, and includes a dissertation. The program consists of taught modules to develop a competitive clinical, teaching, and research portfolio. It also provides structured training in research methods and academic writing over two years to support the completion of research in the clinical setting.

Outline:

Year 1:

• SY6005 Essentials in Clinical Surgery 1 - Infection Prevention and Management including Antibiotic Stewardship, Wound Management and Healing (5 credits): This module focuses on infection prevention and management, including antibiotic stewardship, wound management, and healing.
• MX6007 Surgical Metabolism - Optimising Metabolism and Fluid Management in the Surgical Setting (5 credits): This module covers surgical metabolism, focusing on optimizing metabolism and fluid management in the surgical setting.
• MX6005 Professional Development in Surgery 1 (15 credits): This module focuses on professional development in surgery, covering various aspects of the field.

Year 2:

• SY6002 Essentials in Clinical Surgery 2 - Optimising Efficiencies, Pre-op Screening and Early Discharge Strategies, Theatre Process, Pain Management (15 credits): This module focuses on optimizing efficiencies in clinical surgery, including pre-op screening, early discharge strategies, theatre process, and pain management.
• MX6006 Professional Development in Surgery 2 - Leadership and Management Strategies, Self-Care and Human Factors Awareness, Safety Solutions and Error Reduction in Surgery including Radiation Safety Training (15 credits): This module focuses on professional development in surgery, covering leadership and management strategies, self-care, human factors awareness, safety solutions, and error reduction in surgery, including radiation safety training.

• SY6003 Research Project in Surgery - Research Dissertation (30 credits): This module involves a research project in surgery, culminating in a research dissertation.

Additional Teaching Mode Information:

Teaching sessions consist of both online learning and face-to-face teaching sessions.

• MCh Year 1: Online 80% / Face-to-face 20%
• MCh Year 2: Online 90% / Face-to-face 10%

Assessment:

Assessment will involve written assignments, MCQs, and Portfolio completion.

Teaching:

This course is delivered by staff in the medical education unit and medical and surgical consultant staff with some external faculty.

Careers:

This program may appeal to those contemplating or embarking on a surgical career or those who wish to broaden their academic portfolio to enhance their competitiveness. It may also be attractive to overseas students who would like the opportunity to learn more about the surgical environment in Ireland and expand their academic repertoire and surgical management strategies. On completion of the MCh, students are expected to have a sound knowledge and comprehension of strategies that improve surgical outcomes and will have developed evaluative, problem-solving, management, and leadership skills. This will enhance the possibilities of securing core and higher specialist training opportunities. Those who continue to Masters level will have undertaken substantive research in their field of practice.

Other:

The course delivery employs a blended learning approach with significant use of online learning resources. Contact teaching sessions are scheduled every two months and occur on Friday evenings and Saturdays in the Brookfield Health Sciences complex in UCC. This innovative program combines a focus on surgical efficiencies such as innovative strategies in decision making, improving surgical key performance indicators, and the development of the early career surgeon as a service and team leader.