External summary

The MSc/Diploma/Certificate in Surgical Sciences is a collaborative programme developed by the University of Edinburgh with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and is distance learning programme for trainee surgeons, which provides the opportunity to obtain a knowledge base and to consolidate skills acquired during undergraduate medical training and the two subsequent Foundation years.

The quality of surgical training and the academic standing of the surgical groups in Edinburgh is highly regarded. Clinical Surgery within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, headed by Professor O James Garden, has a national and international profile in surgical research, contributing to a 5* rating in the last RAE (2008). RCSEd is dedicated to the maintenance and promotion of the highest standards of surgical practice, through its keen and long established tradition in education, training and rigorous examination and through its liaison with external medical bodies. Together, the two institutions have developed a strong quality programme in Surgical Sciences that is becoming increasingly valued worldwide. The programme also offers a high quality training programme in basic core surgery to complement the current MRCS examination.

The ESSQ is a taught, part-time MSc course delivered over three years. Modules are taught by distance e-learning designed to run alongside clinical training and complement in-the-workplace assessment. Taught components are delivered to groups of students through case scenarios of common surgical disease that the trainee is likely to encounter in the early years of surgical training, formative MCQs, and discussion forums using a clinical problem-based review of the course material. Individual surgical research training is provided through a research-based dissertation in the third year of study on a topic to be chosen by the student.

Educational aims of programme

This programme aims to support the surgical trainee through the curriculum which leads to the intercollegiate MRCS (Membership of Royal College of Surgeons) examination in Great Britain and Ireland, and provides:

• Knowledge of basic sciences required for a surgical career and for students to have demonstrated their ability to apply these appropriately
• The necessary basic technical and management skills in the care of the critically ill patient
• Knowledge of physiology, anatomy, embryology and disease pathology that will underpin early surgical training across the broad range of surgical specialties
• Surgical and investigative techniques applicable to selected surgical specialties and in generic techniques applicable to minor procedures across a range of surgical specialties
• Peri-operative management including general management of the postoperative patient and wound care
• Clinical decision making and judgement skills as applied to surgical patients in the elective, urgent and emergency clinical setting
• Professional and other generic aspects of surgical practice

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

• Knowledge of applied anatomy, physiology, and pathology relevant to the practice of surgery

• An understanding of the preoperative assessment and management of the surgical patient

• An understanding of the postoperative and critical care of the surgical patient

• An understanding of research and teaching methodology

• Knowledge and an understanding of evidence based surgery
  

Summative assessment of knowledge and understanding is undertaken through formal examination (MCQs and extended-matching questions), which follows the format of the exit intercollegiate membership examination (MRCS), and the preparation of an e-dissertation. Formative assessment is undertaken through discussion boards and mini-essays.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

N/A

Programme structure and features

The courses within the Programme will follow the standard 180 credits (60:60:60) format. Details of courses and credit points are outlined in the Degree Programme Table.

Students who complete successfully 60 credit points will be awarded a Certificate in Surgical Sciences by the University of Edinburgh; those completing 120 credit points would be awarded a Diploma in Surgical Sciences.  Students who complete successfully a further 60 credit points for a dissertation on a supervised surgical research project will be awarded a Masters Degree in Surgical Sciences.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

The three year programme is taught by online distance learning, using a purpose-built delivery platform (eeSURG) which acts as a course intranet through Learning Technology Section. Registered students are provided with a username and password that allows them to access this learning environment. eeSURG provides a variety of educational material and supports a range of approaches by the students to the material provided.

Online delivery is supported through assessed asynchronous discussions with peers and tutors based around case scenarios and virtual patients. eeSURG also hosts a number of interactive tutorials that allow students to work with information in a self-paced manner to test their understanding of important concepts and principles. Self-test MCQs are available for each module of the course.

Study guides in the form of a comprehensive knowledgebase are available, either to be read on screen or printed for private use. Selected readings from relevant journals, textbooks and other online sources are provided. Students are encouraged to utilise the library’s online resources and in addition, passwords to access three key online texts on Elsevier’s Student Consult are provided at the start of each year.

Assessment methods and strategies

Year 1 is assessed by participation in online discussion (15%) and self-test multiple choice question MCQ attempts (10%).  There is an end of academic year MCQ examination (75%) to ensure integration of the applied basic sciences into surgical practice in general.  Key principles that underpin assessment activities are evidence-based practice and the application of theory to clinical practice. The principle of constructive alignment underpins all assessments, ensuring that the assessment tasks are aligned with the specific course objectives, the content of the course and the teaching methods employed.

Year 2 is assessed during each module by participation in online discussion (10%), self-test MCQ attempts (5%) and four pieces of written work (15% in total). An end-of-year examination using single best answer (SBA) and extended matched-item (EMI) questions is also employed (70%).

Year 3 involves an independent, supervised research project. Unlike most other Masters Projects, the assessment is based not only on the final Project Report but includes a Project Outline (10%), a Detailed Summary (20%) and an e-Poster (20%). Thus, 50% of the marks awarded for the Masters Project relate to activities assessed throughout the year. Constructive feedback is issued to students after each milestone. The incremental and iterative nature of the Year 3 research project design allows students to take on board feedback and incorporate into subsequent submissions.

Career opportunities

The three-year ESSQ programme fits well alongside the professional requirements of the trainee in the early years of surgical training; it helps to prepare for the examination for the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons and also supports trainees’ early academic development. The programme has international reach - for example it is accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons - and provides the surgical trainee with an opportunity to secure academic credits and a qualification without taking time out of their training programme. While this may be preferable for some, several trainees have also found that the experience has served as a strong platform to secure full-time research training with which to launch their aspiring academic career.

Other items

Overall Student Workload

Students will be expected to participate actively in the online tutor-led discussion activity for each topic and will also be expected to complete the equivalent of around 10 hours of self-directed study per week during the programme semesters. This will involve working to the programme timetable and reading the identified reference texts and journal articles.