At this time of year, it is customary to reflect back on the year gone by.
As usual, the ongoing struggles of limited capacity in our health services cause much frustration to you in trying to look after as many patients as you can......
Dear Doctor,
At this time of year, it is customary to reflect back on the year gone by.
As usual, the ongoing struggles of limited capacity in our health services cause much frustration to you in trying to look after as many patients as you can. However, the tens of thousands of operations, explorations and consultations that are carried out in our hospitals and clinics deliver much needed care to all who received it.
Irish surgery and emergency medicine is incredibly dynamic, creative, and service focussed. The strong ethos of training and professional development can be seen by the number of NCHD’s that have engaged in our CPD activities.
We awarded 56 CCSTs and enrolled 80 new core trainees and appointed 54 new Higher Specialty surgical Trainees to our programmes.We conducted 27 hospital site inspections. Over 900 surgeons and emergency medicine doctors enrolled in the CPD Support Scheme.
We ran in excel of 200 courses at our Dublin campus, this includes specialist training courses and CPD courses for Surgical and Emergency Medicine doctors. Courses were also delivered in regional centres including Cork, Galway and Tullamore.
All of this activity demonstrates a vibrant surgical and emergency medicine community focussed on professionalism and training. We could not do any of this without the huge support of our faculty and the commitment of our NCHD’s.
All of us here in RCSI Surgical Affairs are privileged to support you in all these important activities and its impact on patient care. On behalf of us all, we wish you all a very Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you in 2024.
We write to advise you that we have places available for the following CPD courses and meetings that will take place in the following weeks. Places are very limited for all our courses, so early registration is advised to avoid disappointment.
We write to advise you that we have places available for the following CPD courses and meetings that will take place in the following weeks. Places are very limited for all our courses, so early registration is advised to avoid disappointment.
Date
Course Title
Type
Course Overview
CPD Points
Registration
8 January 2023
Active Bystander Intervention Training
2 places left
Interactive Learning
This training session aims to empower the RCSI community to challenge poor behaviors which have become normalised and bring change through the reinforcement of messages defining the boundaries of unacceptable behavior.
This bone fracture fixation course will start with classification systems and decision making on the type of fixation of fractures in different scenarios. The practical sessions will range from the application of simple screws and plates to complex fixation of fractures using k-wires, tension band wiring, intramedullary nailing. We will discuss the principles of application of an external fixator. The bone models will be synthetic sawbones and animal legs with fractures for both the upper and lower limb.
This course is designed to upskill healthcare workers on how to design and bring to a conclusion a quantitative study for research purposes. It focuses on understanding the key principles of quantitative study designs including bias, confounding and causality.
This is a gastrointestinal skills course that concentrates on the operative management of open inguinal hernias, bowel anastomosis and bowel diversion surgery. During the course, you will learn procedures using low and high-fidelity models in our wet lab facility with the constructive feedback of experienced consultants in General and colorectal surgery.
This course will enhance your ability on-duty as a surgeon, gastroenterologist or radiologist – either as a trainee or a specialist. The course is endorsed by many societies and regularly updated with the latest advances in emergency surgery care.
This new three-day course provides a practical hands-on overview for clinicians seeking to adapt their skills for managing patients in pre-hospital environments e.g. mass gathering medicine, ambulance activity, and mountain rescue.
This course is run over three days: Day 1:Friday, 26 January 2024 Day 2: Tuesday, 20February 2024 Day 3:Friday, 22March2024
This course is designed by intensive care doctors for surgeons and will look at patient monitoring, diagnostic decisions and treatment options for surgical patients in ICU. The faculty will discuss pertinent subjects such as post-operative management of cardio-respiratory failure, renal function, and sepsis. These principles will be demonstrated in interactive scenarios typical of the ICU setting.
Principles and practicalities of healthcare systematic reviews- Limerick
8places left
Classroom
This course is designed for those who want to perform and/or critically appraise systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It predominantly covers systematic reviews of healthcare interventions, with some material being equally relevant to systematic reviews of other topics. This course will take you through the process of doing a systematic review and focus on practicalities rather than theory.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certificate- Tullamore
3 places left
Classroom
This is a two-day classroom and simulation-based course and is suitable for all levels of physician on the CPD-SS. Those participating must be proficient in basic life support skills, in ECG interpretation and in basic emergency pharmacology. Candidates will be provided with an ACLS provider manual and on-line access key to American Heart Association learning platform materials for mandatory pre-course material to be completed.
This course is run over three days: Day 1:Monday, 12February 2024 Day 2:Tuesday, 13February 2024
This course is designed for complete beginners to and/or very new users of Microsoft Excel. It will provide you with the essential fundamental knowledge required to begin using the Excel spreadsheet application to both work with existing and create and save new Excel files.
The RCSI is delighted to welcome Mr Robert Woods, who is a Chartered Accountant and a retired Partner in the Financial Services section of KPMG Ireland, who has agreed to speak and share his knowledge on areas such as pensions, tax, insurance and mortgages.
In this course you will master your knot-tying and suturing skills from first principles. Experienced consultant surgeons will give you formative feedback on your instrument handling, tissue manipulation and wound closure techniques.Once your skills have been practiced you will close different shaped wounds on synthetic and animal models.
This is a multidisciplinary course facilitated by experienced consultants in ENT, MAX fax, and neurosurgery. Participants will learn how to manage the airway in challenging difficult airway scenarios. Options and priorities will be discussed in the management of combined head and neck trauma.Participants will also practise skills such as emergency cricothyroidotomy, placement of burr holes, and closure of facial lacerations on simulated models.
This is a hands-on course in which you receive expert formative feedback while practicing your skills on bespoke low- and high- fidelity models. Expert laparoscopic consultants will also guide you through performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on an animal liver-gallbladder model.
This training session aims to empower the RCSI community to challenge poor behaviors which have become normalised and bring change through the reinforcement of messages defining the boundaries of unacceptable behavior.
This course introduces a structured approach to acute psychiatric emergencies for patients presenting to hospital in an acute crisis. It outlines the practical, ethical and legal issues relevant in managing such scenarios in Ireland.
This is an advanced upper gastrointestinal (GI) emergency management course for experienced senior registrars. This interactive workshop will start with discussing the management of the unstable patient for both variceal and non-variceal bleeds.
If a course is FULL – it is recommendedto apply for the waiting list. Often doctors withdraw from courses closer to the date.
If you would like to book and attend more than your FREE 3 full-day courses allowance, you will be required to pay an enrolment fee for the additional courses. However, this fee can be reimbursed via HSE’s Training Support Scheme. Further details can be found here.
Please do not hesitate to contact us in the meantime at cpdss@rcsi.ie
Best Wishes,
RCSI CPD Team
Share with your colleagues: Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme mid-point enrolment Applications now open
Applications for our Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme mid-point enrolment are now open, and will close on 31 January 2024. Please note, as you are currently enrolled on the CPD Support Scheme 2023/24, you do not need to re-enrol, however we could appreciate if you could share this news with your colleagues who are not enrolled on our scheme.
We continually work to add more self-paced courses that you can complete easily at a time that suits you.
We continually work to add more self-paced courses that you can complete easily at a time that suits you. Please see our list of these courses below:
Course Title
Course Overview
CPD Points
Registration
Safe Clinical Handovers
Quality healthcare requires clear and effective communication between healthcare professionals, teams, and patients. In this course, we will focus on one particular area of healthcare communication: clinical handovers. This online course aims to support clinicians to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively prepare and participate in clinical handover.
Communication Skills for Video and Telephone Consultation
Video and telephone consultations in healthcare are not new, but the COVID-19 crisis forced many clinicians to rapidly take up these kinds of consultations as a feasible alternative to face-to-face consultations. This is often a type of consultation that staff has not encountered before. Applying the Calgary-Cambridge guide to video and telephone calls provides a structured and safe approach to this virtual format.
The course is presented as a series of recorded one-hour modules. Each module, involving a separate specialty theme, will involve case-based discussions with a variety of guest speakers. Slides covering the content are provided, and a short series of MCQs based on the content covered is completed to complete the module.
This new online course uses a case discussion format to revise the basics of ECG Interpretation for Emergency Medicine physicians. This online platform allows candidates to access the recorded content on demand, with the facility to repeat more challenging modules as desired. Candidates are required to complete a quiz at the beginning and end of the course.
Medical Science for Surgery and Emergency Medicine
RCSI in partnership with the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine https://acslm.ie/have developed a CPD/CME programme to maintain and develop their competence in this critical area of clinical practice.
The comprehensive programme of short online courses will cover 25 areas of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Together we have brought to you the first seven courses in this series which cover the following areas: Cancer Diagnostics, Surgical Microbiology, Blood Transfusion, Coagulation, Surgical Immunology, Heart Failure Assessment in the Emergency Department, Near Patient Testing (NPT) basic and applied pathology.
The course covers material which we believe is fundamental to understanding the current state of surgical robotics in the market and the skills necessary to safe and effectively utilise this technology in your everyday surgical practice. This course is design for any healthcare professional wanting to develop their knowledge and understanding of surgical robotics, including surgeons, trainees, medical students, nurses, and technicians.
This course is designed to upskill healthcare workers on how to design and bring to a conclusion a quantitative study for research purposes. It focuses on understanding the key principles of quantitative study designs including bias, confounding and causality.
This course is designed to upskill healthcare workers on how to design and bring to a conclusion a quantitative study for research purposes. It focuses on understanding the key principles of quantitative study designs including bias, confounding and causality.
This course will take you through the fundamentals of quantitative study designs and is designed to be interactive, with a mix of taught and practical sessions.
Faculty: Dr Rose Galvin, University of Limerick
Learning objectives
Understand the principles of creating a quantitative research study
Understanding the key principles of quantitative study designs including bias, confounding and causality
Improved understanding of internal and external validity of a study
Increased confidence in appraising existing published trials
In-depth knowledge of the analysis used in quantitative study design.
Suitable for: SHOs and registrars in all surgical specialties; emergency medicine doctors
A free Financial Planning for Doctors event will take place on 15 February in the Boucher Hayes lecture theatre at RCSI 26 York Street. This talk is aimed at the needs of doctors in the early stages of their careers.
A free Financial Planning for Doctors event will take place on 15 February in the Boucher Hayes lecture theatre at RCSI 26 York Street. This talk is aimed at the needs of doctors in the early stages of their careers.
NCHDs work and life can be very busy and decisions around finances can often be put off. However, it is important that you take time and develop a financial plan.
RCSI is delighted to welcome Robert Woods, a chartered accountant and retired partner in the financial services section of KPMG Ireland; he has agreed to speak and share his knowledge on areas such as pensions, tax, insurance and mortgages.
Topics such as Pensions, Tax, Insurance, Choosing a financial advisor, Mortgages and Planning tips will be covered.
We are delighted to announce that we are providing surgical NCHDs with access to the RCSI Logbook. This service is available free of charge to Surgical NCHDs registered on our CPD Support Scheme.
We are delighted to announce that we are providing surgical NCHDs with access to the RCSI Logbook.
This service is available free of charge to Surgical NCHDs registered on our CPD Support Scheme. It is completely voluntary for you to use this, but this logbook has been specifically designed by RCSI to support those who wish to build their surgical careers. It is part of our commitment to support all who work in the provision of surgical care to patients in Ireland.
Access to the RCSI Logbook will provide an opportunity for those in non-training places to use the same electronic logbook as is being used by trainees in our core and higher surgical training programmes. Our logbook is familiar to all our consultant trainers and supervisors which gives us the opportunity to have our logbook records validated. Your data will be stored securely by RCSI, backed up, and protected against loss
Our dedicated team will happily provide support via our email nchdlogbook@rcsi.com
We hope you will avail of the logbook and enjoy an Irish focused, easy to use, mobile first secure experience.
Finally, it is mandatory to hold an active RCSI email account (@rcsi.com) or a Google email account (@gmail.com) to successfully register for the RCSI Logbook. Please sign hereto request access to the RCSI Logbook.
RCSI’s Fellows and Members Office are delighted to confirm that, as you are enrolled on the Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme (CPD-SS) with RCSI you are entitled to free access to Affiliate Membership of RCSI. We would like to warmly welcome you as an Affiliate Member of RCSI.
RCSI’s Fellows and Members Office are delighted to confirm that, as you are enrolled on the Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme (CPD-SS) with RCSI you are entitled to free access to Affiliate Membership of RCSI. We would like to warmly welcome you as an Affiliate Member of RCSI.
Affiliate Membership gives you access to a range of resources designed to help you prepare for MRCS Part A and B examinations and support your overall career progression by becoming part of an international network of over 11,000 surgeons and aspiring surgeons.
The Fellows and Members Office launched our new RCSI Affiliate Member Portal for our Affiliate Members, giving exclusive access to a range of ‘member-only’ exams and career supports which cover your personal, practical, academic and professional development needs. These valuable resources are exclusive to Affiliate Members and include:
RCSI Support: Supports and information about the pathway to a career in surgery, and surgical practice resources,
MRCS Exam Preparation Resources: RCSI has prepared an extensive suite of resources to designed to support Affiliates preparing for the MRCS examinations, including access to SurgiQuiz, regular exam preparation tips and updated resources,
Surgical Skills and Science: Affiliate Members have the opportunity to improve their surgical skills and scientific knowledge by accessing pre-operative patient assessment and post-operative care guides and cutting-edge 360-degree videos,
Surgical Anatomy Software and Guides: Access to RCSI Surgical Anatomy guides and dissection guides which are designed to support your preparation for MRCS examination and improve your clinical knowledge,
Library and Study Resources: Access to a curated collection of resources in the field of surgery, such as Annals of Surgery, as well as information on an exclusive 20% discount from Cambridge University Press,
Online Courses: We have also provided access to online courses designed to prepare you for MRCS Part A and B and enhance your clinical practice,
Career Development: Opportunities to help grow your surgical career and develop your portfolio, including CPD and volunteering opportunities, links to our online LinkedIn community, and upcoming events, and
Surgical News: The portal hosts the latest updates from RCSI’s President as well as the latest Affiliate Member Newsletters and Fellow and Member publications, including Surgeons Scope. Our next RCSI Affiliate Member Newsletter will be sent in December 2023.
Please be aware that the Training Support Scheme, managed by HSE, has increased the funding for non-consultant health doctors working full-time by €500 increasing from €1,250 to €1,750
Please be aware that the Training Support Scheme, managed by HSE, has increased the funding for non-consultant health doctors working full-time by €500 increasing from €1,250 to €1,750
Grade
Old
New (2023)
Intern
€750
€1250
SHOs and Registrars
€1250
€1750
SPRs/GP Registrars/Psychiatry SRs on a training scheme
€2000
€2500
CPD Support Scheme courses are accredited for TSS reimbursement (subject to approval). For more information, please click here to download the guidance document recently released by the HSE.
*TSS funding is provided on a “training year” basis. The definition of a “training year” is the second Monday in July until the second Monday in July of the following year.
RCSI is pleased to announce that applications for our inter-professional and online Human Factors in Patient Safety programme is now open for September 2024 intake
Gain a well-rounded understanding of human factors in healthcare
Applications for our inter-professional and online Human Factors in Patient Safety programme suited to busy healthcare professionals worldwide will open soon.
Our Human Factors in Patient Safety programme provides a greater awareness of risk and error in the workplace by providing participants with skills required to mitigate risk and prevent adverse outcomes.
It also offers access to an interprofessional team of experts in surgery, psychology, nursing, pharmacy and the related fields of medical ethics, medical litigation, leadership, professionalism and communication, amongst others.
Register your interest today for our flexible and inter-professional postgraduate academic programmes in surgery and emergency medicine.
Register your interest today for our flexible and inter-professional postgraduate academic programmes in surgery and emergency medicine. Our postgraduate programmes include:
Online PG Diploma/MSc in Human Factors in Patient Safety
MSc. in Advanced Clinical Practice
Master of Surgery (MCh) by Module (part-time and full-time)
RCSI is pleased to announce that applications for our brand-new MRCS Part B OSCE diet in Cairo, Egypt – April 2024 will open soon.
RCSI is pleased to announce that applications for our brand-new MRCS Part B OSCE diet in Cairo, Egypt – April 2024 will open soon. Due to the success of our first diet in Cairo (September 2023), we are now running a second official MRCS Part B examination in April 2024. This examination will take place in the Armed Forces College of Medicine (AFCM).
Mr Kieran Ryan, Managing Director of RCSI Surgery, said: “RCSI is delighted to announce a 2nd MRCS Part B examination in Cairo with our colleagues in the Armed Forces College of Medicine Hospital. We are grateful for Maj Gen Prof Ashraf Mohey, Prof Ahmed Makki and all their colleagues for the great support and friendship they have with RCSI. Cairo is an important hub for RCSI in the delivery of examinations and other educational and training endeavours. I am looking forward to having our April ’24 MRCSI Part B exam diet at the ADCMH, Cairo.”
We would like to advise prospective candidates thinking about applying to get their application in as soon as possible due to increased demand.
Candidates sitting the MRCS Part B with RCSI will receive a suite of MRCS specific supports and 20% off PasTest resources.
RCSI is pleased to announce that episode 4 of our Safe & Sound podcast with Dr Chris Turner, Emergency Medicine Consultant at University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire is now available to listen to on Spotify and Apple podcasts.
RCSI is pleased to announce that episode 4 of our Safe & Sound podcast with Dr Chris Turner, Emergency Medicine Consultant at University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire is now available to listen to on Spotify and Apple podcasts.
Please listen, follow and share our latest episode via digital channels to spread the message about our Safe & Sound podcast. Relevant links can be seen below:
The National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS), a collaboration between the HSE and RCSI, today launched a model of care for vascular surgery. This document outlines the service needs of the population for vascular surgery services and defines a model of care delivery that is accessible, timely and of high quality.
The National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS), a collaboration between the HSE and RCSI, today launched a model of care for vascular surgery. This document outlines the service needs of the population for vascular surgery services and defines a model of care delivery that is accessible, timely and of high quality.
In developing this model of care, the complexity and multisystem nature of vascular disease and the necessity for multidisciplinary specialist input in the care of this cohort of patients were highlighted. The burden of vascular disease experienced by patients with diabetes was specifically addressed and is an area of increasing importance given our aging population.
This model of care sets out recommendations to enable delivery of services of the highest quality over the next 5-10 years. These include the resourcing of centralised services both in terms of staffing and facilities. Key to workforce expansion is the development of new nursing roles with specialist training and an extended scope of practice.
The model of care highlights the importance of establishing a National Vascular Registry to monitor and improve the quality of services and to record all implants. The document also advocates for a national screening programme for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in line with the UK and most European nations.
Finally, some of the preventative measures that people can take to promote their vascular health such as smoking cessation, exercise and weight control are outlined.
“Launching this model of care is a milestone for vascular surgery. The Irish Vascular surgeons are very keen to proceed with the implementation of these recommendations. The NCPS is very grateful to all those who contributed to this work and in particular to the Irish Vascular Society.” Mr Martin Feeley, National Clinical Advisor for Vascular Surgery, (NCPS).
“We are delighted to introduce the Vascular Surgery Model of Care which represents our commitment to delivering better care for patients in Ireland”. Ms Mary Barry – Chair of the Irish Vascular Society.
The model of care can be downloaded from publications section at:
The 10th Annual University Hospital Waterford Research Meeting will take place on Friday 19th January 2024 in the Elva Theatre, HSE / RCSI Education Facility, University Hospital Waterford.
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to confirm that the 10th Annual University Hospital Waterford Research Meeting will take place on Friday 19th January 2024 in the Elva Theatre, HSE / RCSI Education Facility, University Hospital Waterford. The meeting will be in person. This forum is open to all including clinicians, the nursing profession, the professions allied to medicine, biomedical scientists and anyone involved in healthcare improvement. Presentations may be given by doctors, by the nursing profession and professions allied to medicine and scientists with varying levels of experience in addition to anyone working in healthcare. The purpose of the meeting is to allow demonstration of the varying areas of research endeavour that are available for further development in the South East. There will be live prize oral presentations and poster presentations with a prize being awarded for the best presentation in each category. The closing date for submission of abstracts is Thursday 7th December 2023. Please see attached poster for further information.
We therefore look forward to the support of all clinicians, scientists, nursing personnel and professions aligned to healthcare in helping to make the 10th Annual University Hospital Waterford Research Meeting on Friday 19th January 2024 a success. Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained from Ms. Jennie O’Leary, Postgraduate Surgical Administrator, University Hospital Waterford on 051 842684 or by email at jennie.oleary@hse.ie.
The HSE National Genetics and Genomics Office (NGGO) in partnership with the RCSI and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) are developing a series of online education modulesentitled "Fundamentals of Genetic Testing"
The HSE National Genetics and Genomics Office (NGGO) in partnership with the RCSI and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) are developing a series of online education modulesentitled”Fundamentals of Genetic Testing”. These will be complimented by a number of webinar Masterclasses organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) and together will support the implementation of the National Strategy for Accelerating Genetic and Genomic Medicine in Ireland
Our genes hold powerful information that can be used to diagnose conditions, guide more effective treatments, predict our risk for disease and collectively help improve patient outcomes and overall population health and wellbeing.
Genomic medicine harnesses this power and is enabling a paradigm shift from a disease-oriented ‘one-size-fits-all’ healthcare approach to one that is more personalised, predictive, preventative, data-driven, and cost-effective.
To date, Ireland has made some progress in developing its genetic and genomic services, with examples of excellence evident throughout the country. However, to fully realise the benefits of genetics and genomics, there is an urgent need to mainstream them so that they can become an integral part of our routine care delivery. The new National Strategy sets out the steps to achieve this and these webinar series is an important first step in mainstreaming genetics and genomics into the Irish Health System.
This RCSI/ MMUH education series is primarily focused towards improving the basic understanding of genomics within the clinical community and the upskilling of non-specialist healthcare professionals around the practice of genetic testing. It is open to all healthcare professionals who may have an interest in this area now or in the future, this includes Doctors, Nurses, Medical Scientists, Researchers.
The following modules are now free to access by Healthcare Professionals
Module 1: From bases to genomes – what I need to know
Module 2: How genetic variation arises from cell division
