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.....
Dear Colleagues,
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 is incredibly dynamic, creative and service focussed. The strong ethos of training and professional development can been seen by the number of training activities logged in our logbook.
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 doctors enrolled in the CPD Support Scheme.
We ran in excel of 200 training days at our Dublin campus, this includes specialist training courses for Surgical and Emergency Medicine Trainees as well as CPD courses. Surgical training courses are delivered in 4 regional centres including Cork and Galway.
All of this activity demonstrates a vibrant surgical community focussed on professionalism and training. We could not do any of this without the huge support of our surgical trainers and the commitment of our trainees.
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 Christmas and we look forward to seeing you during
Kieran Ryan
Managing Director
Surgical Affairs
Mr Barry McGuire appointed as Professor of Surgical Education and Academic Development
RCSI is delighted to announce the appointment of Barry McGuire as Professor of Surgical Education and Academic Development. Barry is a graduate of RCSI and the specialist urology training scheme in Ireland.
He completed a fellowship in Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago in the area of robotics, laparoscopic and percutaneous surgery. He was appointed as a consultant urologist in Beaumont Hospital in 2015 and subsequently to St Vincent’s University Hospital in 2017 where he has worked to date.
An event focusing on experienced surgeons is scheduled for Friday 26 January. This half day session, beginning at 1pm, will look at how Surgical Careers can evolve overtime, we will hear from financial planning experts who will address issues of financial planning for the future. We will also hear from Prof Roseanne Kenny on how to look after your health and well-being now and in the future.
An event focusing on experienced surgeons is scheduled for Friday 26 January. This half day session, beginning at 1pm, will look at how Surgical Careers can evolve overtime, we will hear from financial planning experts who will address issues of financial planning for the future. We will also hear from Prof Roseanne Kenny on how to look after your health and well-being now and in the future. This event will take place in the Bouchier Hayes Lecture Theatre, 26 York Street, RCSI. Lunch and refreshments will be served at 1pm, followed by the event beginning at 1:30pm.
Speakers include:
Dr Philip Crowley, HSE
Professor Roseanne Kenny, Trinity College Dublin & St James's Hospital
Professor Paul Ridgway, Tallaght University Hospital
Professor Ciaran O’Boyle, RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences
The RCSI Court of Examiners are currently looking to recruit new basic, clinical and lay examiners to join our surgical examining committee and help deliver our MRCS Part B OSCE diets in Ireland and overseas in Malaysia, Bahrain, the UAE and our newly launched centre in Egypt.
The RCSI Court of Examiners are currently looking to recruit new basic, clinical and lay examiners to join our surgical examining committee and help deliver our MRCS Part B OSCE diets in Ireland and overseas in Malaysia, Bahrain, the UAE and our newly launched centre in Egypt.
Examiners play a key role in the progression of our surgical trainees domestically and internationally. The support of our basic, clinical, and lay examiners is integral to our ability to deliver the MRCS exams and ensuring that the surgical quality standard of our surgeons in training is assessed to the highest efficiency.
Prospective examiners can find more information such as eligibility criteria for each of our examiner vacancies on our Court of Examiners. Applications forms for each of our examiner vacancies can be seen below:
In order to apply, prospective examiners will need to fill out the application form for the vacancy of your choice and send it to courtofexaminers@rcsi.ie.
RCSI Surgery held a Core Surgical Training (CST) online information session ahead of applications for the CST programme opening, with over 100 attendees joining the session. Applications for CST 2024 intake then opened on 19 October and closed on 23 November 2023.
RCSI Surgery held a Core Surgical Training (CST) online information session ahead of applications opening, with over 100 attendees joining the session. Applications for CST 2024 intake then opened on 19 October and closed on 23 November 2023.
This year, 80 places are available on the CST programme for July 2024 intake, where over 300 applications were received. The CST team are currently reviewing each application, completing eligibility checks and pre-scoring elements for all applications. SpaceWear online aptitudes were circulated to all submitted applicants with a deadline of 30th November. Interviews are scheduled to take place virtually over the week beginning Monday 19 February 2024 via Microsoft Teams.
CST trainers are invited to participate in these interviews, if you are interested, you can contact us via the core mailbox corest@rcsi.ie or via the Core Surgical Training representative in their hospital.
Applications are now open for the Advanced Emergency Abdominal Surgery course on Saturday, 27 January 2024 at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Applications are now open for the Advanced Emergency Abdominal Surgery course on Saturday, 27 January 2024 at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
This course builds on the award winning EASC courses which were first held in Donegal Ireland in 2012. EASC Courses have expanded around the World, and have been run in 12 countries and have been attended by over 1500 surgeons and residents. EASC is regarded by the majority of participants as one of the best courses they ever attended.
Advanced EASC will make you think about what you do when you next on call as a Consultant and bring you all the latest updates combined with the faculty wreath of experience from around the World.
Navigate - Your Guide to Consultant Recruitment was held on 30 March 2023 and is now available to watch.
If you got the opportunity to attend the ‘Navigate’ webinar held on 30 March 2023, you would have heard from speakers such as:
Prof. Brian Kinirons, medical director of NDTP who gave an overview of aspire fellowships and the projected numbers of consultant jobs that will become available in the coming years.
Representatives from HSE coaching service discussed their role in supporting new consultants and how they provide a range of support services to help new consultants succeed.
Dr Aedin Ryan, paediatrician with expertise in cardiology, University Hospital Galway, shared her experience as a new consultant in the health service in Ireland, providing valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that new consultants face in their roles.
Ronan Foley from HSE Business Services, provided information about the process and timelines from HSE Business Services.
Sinead Coleman and Louise McEntee from the Public Appointments Service gave information on the application and shortlisting process, providing helpful tips for NCHDs.
If you happened to miss this event, fear not, a recording of the webinar is available at the link here.
Password: sSJwPmr2
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Mr. Robert Watt, Secretary General at the Department of Health, recently visited St. Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH) to witness first-hand the transformative impact of Modernised Care Pathways on patient care and waiting lists.
Mr. Robert Watt, Secretary General at the Department of Health, recently visited St. Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH) to witness first-hand the transformative impact of Modernised Care Pathways on patient care and waiting lists.
The new Orthopaedic and Urology care pathways at SVUH are part of a national programme of work progressing under the governance of the HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer and the Strategic Programmes Office to implement 36 Modernised Care Pathways. To date, €3.6m has been invested in SVUH to support recruitment of 26 WTE resources to deliver pathways across a range of specialties. Modernised Care Pathways are a key deliverable of the Minister’s Waiting List Action Plan 2023, a frontrunner of integrated care delivery, and a building block for the new HSE Health Regions (formerly Regional Health Areas) organised under Sláintecare. Twenty-three of these pathways are now in operation within hospital and community sites around the country.
SVUH showcased the outcomes achieved through collaborative efforts with the HSE Strategic Programmes Office, the National Clinical Programme for Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery, the National Clinical Programme for Surgery and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Notable advancements include the implementation of virtual Fracture Assessment Clinics and a Fracture Liaison Service in Orthopaedics and a Haematuria Pathway in Urology, significantly impacting waiting times and improving the overall patient experience.
During the visit, Prof Michael Keane – Interim CEO welcomed Mr Watt, Deirdre McNamara, Mr. Paddy Kenny – Joint National Clinical Lead for the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and Professor Eamonn Rogers – the National Clinical Lead for Urology who both provided insights into the Orthopaedic and Urology modernised care pathways nationally, highlighting the achievements and innovations for both services and the significant progress made in implementing these pathways in SVUH.
Following the presentations, the delegation toured the clinical areas associated with these pathways, met the teams who are successfully implementing these pathways, and gained first-hand knowledge of the impact on patient outcomes in SVUH. Mr. Watt expressed his appreciation for the dedication and innovation demonstrated by SVUH in advancing patient care and reducing waiting lists.
RCSI is pleased to announce the introduction of our brand-new additional MRCS Part B OSCE diet in Cairo, Egypt which will be held in April 2024.
RCSI is pleased to announce the introduction of our brand-new additional MRCS Part B OSCE diet in Cairo, Egypt which will be held in April 2024.
Due to our recent successful Part B diet in Cairo back in September 2023, we are delighted to add an additional examination date in Egypt within our MRCS 2024 calendar.
Catch up on our previous episodes of Beyond the Theatre podcast, a podcast focusing on surgical and medical topics relating to surgeons in practice and training.
Catch up on our previous episodes of Beyond the Theatre podcast, a podcast focusing on surgical and medical topics relating to surgeons in practice and training.
Our first series included a number of speakers discussing a range of different topics including less than full time training, resilience, whisteblowing and robotic assisted surgery training.
Join ASGBI at the International Surgical Congress in Belfast from 8th – 10th May 2024.
Join ASGBI at the International Surgical Congress in Belfast from 8th – 10th May 2024.
The Congress programme features lectures, symposia, courses, hands on activity in the Training Village, and careers advice at the daily Breakfast Academy.
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 first surgical trial supported by the RCSI National Surgical Research Support Centre (NSRSC) has been launched. The PROPEL-2 trial will investigate if a new type of wound dressing called Negative Pressure Wound Therapy is better than current standard wound dressings at reducing surgical wound infections, improving scar appearance and quality of life for patients having surgery on their abdomen.
The first surgical trial supported by the RCSI National Surgical Research Support Centre (NSRSC) has been launched. The PROPEL-2 trial will investigate if a new type of wound dressing called Negative Pressure Wound Therapy is better than current standard wound dressings at reducing surgical wound infections, improving scar appearance and quality of life for patients having surgery on their abdomen.
The trial will also involve analysing the costs associated with the dressings themselves from a patient and healthcare perspective to decide which type of dressing should be used for these surgical wounds in future.
Led by surgeons Ms Claire Donohoe and Mr Noel Donlon, based at St James’ Hospital, Dublin this multi-site trial is currently open in five other hospitals and will ultimately be open in 14 hospitals across the country.
