A highlight in the surgical calendar, the annual RCSI Millin Meeting with take place on 4 and 5 February.

The Millin meeting and Irish Surgical Training Group (ISTG) meetings will be hosted both online and in person.

RCSI is greatly honoured that Ms Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, will be attending RCSI to deliver the 29th Carmichael Lecture as part of the conference.

Registration for this event is essential and can be done through the following link: http://bit.ly/RCSIMillin22

Join us on Saturday 5 February at 9:30am in the Desmond Auditorium for the the Irish Surgical Training Group Meeting.

The meeting will include:

• PROGRESS Women in Surgery Fellowship, supported by Johnson & Johnson with Ms Ailin Rogers
• A debate titled: "Slaintecare will negatively impact surgical training and trainees"
• What surgical training can include from high performance professions 
• Bosco O’Mahony Lecture delivered by Professor Deborah McNamara, RCSI Council Member and Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.

To register, please visit: https://rcsi.eventsair.com/millin-meeting-2022/registration-form/Site/Register

Join us on 2 February 2022 at 2pm (GMT) for the RCSI Global Surgery Grand Rounds "Working Better Together for Safer Surgical Patient Care"

Speakers include Prof Walter Eppich, Professor and Chair of RCSI SIM, the Centre for Simulation Education and Research, and Dr Marie Morris, Senior Lecturer in Postgraduate Surgical Education.

Across geographies and cultures, surgery is a team sport. An abundant literature base offers effective strategies to improve collaboration amongst professions and across professional boundaries. Poor inter-professional team communication and siloed approaches to clinical care impact negatively on patient outcomes. We propose that where team members consciously and purposefully relate to each other, status barriers can be minimised and teams can work together with intentions of collaboration and inclusiveness. We present evidence that with positive intent, teams can improve relational attributes. Surgical teams face high levels of task interdependence, uncertainty, and time constraint, making team inclusiveness and effective communication paramount. We present universally applicable and effective strategies to promote health care professionals “consciously relating" to each other for greater team effectiveness and safer surgical care.

To register, please visit:https://rb.gy/wue7ye

The National Clinical Programmes in Surgery (NCPS) meeting entitled ‘The Future of Technology in the Management and Care of the Surgical Patient’ will take place virtually on Tuesday, 1 February 2022 at 2:30pm. 

Online registration for this event is essential. The NCPS webinar will be streamed via the OnAir conference portal. Access to the portal will be sent via email to all registered delegates in due course.  

For any queries, please contact charter@rcsi.ie

Develop your skills in clinical practice to progress in your medical career

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland welcomes applications to our flexible and part-time MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice for our September 2022 intake.

The MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice is open to all non-consultant health doctors in Ireland within non-surgical specialities such as Radiology, anaesthesiology, general practice, emergency medicine, pathology, public health, occupational health, and all general medical specialities.

The programme has been developed to supplement the clinical experience with structured clinical teaching and training. Programme modules are designed to equip you with a versatile skill set that will help to better meet the demands which are an essential part of the professional life of the modern practicing clinician.

MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice – Programme Brochure

The class comprises people from different clinical backgrounds and experience which allows a rich mix of expertise thus providing for healthy discussions and case studies. Modules include:

Core modules

• Research Methods Protocol Development, Design and Analysis
• Healthcare Ethics and Law
• Professionalism and Advanced Communication
• Lean QI and Healthcare
• Research Dissertation

Optional modules (candidates must choose 2 out of 3 modules)

• Clinicians as Educators – Effective Teaching
• Leading Your Service and Organisation
• Medical Technology and Innovation

To be considered eligible for the programme, you must:

• Hold the degree of MB/BAO/BCh) or equivalent
• Be registered and in good standing with your professional registration body
• Resident in Ireland and working in the Irish Health service at time of application
• Possess good undergraduate and postgraduate records and references
• Ideally candidates should have some practical experience and knowledge of clinical research as there is a strong research component within the programme

Interested candidates can contact us at macp@rcsi.ie if you have any queries or require any additional information.

Best wishes,

Surgical Affairs, RCSI

Join us on 2 February 2022 at 6pm for our monthly National Neurotrauma Case Presentation webinar.

This webinar will include contributions from:

• Welcome - Session Chair Professor Mohsen Javadpour, Consultant Neurosugeon, National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital. 
• Case presentation 1 - Professor Mark Sherlock - Consultant Endocrinologist- National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital - Sodium abnormalities in head injury 
• Case presentation 2 – Dr Suzanne Murphy - SHO - National Neurosurgical Centre - National Neurosurgical Centre - Beaumont Hospital – 
• Q&A

To register for the webinar, in order to receive CPD credits, please click here

Please note enrolments for the CPD Support Scheme mid-year entry point enrolment are now open and will close on the 31^st of January 2022. Applications can be submitted here.

We would kindly ask that you share this email and flyer with any new Non Consultant Health Doctors who are yet to enrol on our 2021/22 CPD Support Scheme.

NCHDs currently enrolled on the 2021/22 CPD Support Scheme do not need to enrol again, 

For more information, read our brand-new FAQs section here.

Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme: Mid-Year Entry Point Enrolment - Flyer

Should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at cpdss@rcsi.ie

Best wishes,

RCSI CPD Team

RCSI’s Fellows and Members Office are delighted to confirm that candidates registered on the Core Surgical Training programme in RCSI are eligible to apply for Affiliate Membership of RCSI and avail of one subscription year free (worth €25).

Affiliate Membership of RCSI has been launched as a new surgical membership category available to:

• Medical Students
• Interested in a career in surgery
• Learning more about surgery before deciding on your career path
• Interns, Foundation Doctors and NCHDs/Junior Doctors
• Interested in pursuing a career in surgery
• Applying for a Surgical Training Programme
• Preparing to sit the MRCS or other internationally recognised surgical examinations
• Surgical Trainees
• Preparing to sit the MRCS or other internationally recognised surgical examinations

Affiliate Membership of RCSI will provide you with exclusive access to a range of ‘member-only’ services aimed at supporting and supplementing your personal, practical, academic and professional development to expand your knowledge of the surgical profession, help you stay engaged in what’s happening in the field of surgery by providing access to RCSI communications channels, surgical publications and resources, global networking opportunities.

Completing your Application:  

The process to become an Affiliate Member of the College is straightforward. It involves two steps, both of which are outlined below. Once complete, your application for Affiliate Membership will be processed and the Fellows and Members Office will be in contact with you within four weeks about the status of your application.  

Step 1: Pay Online Fee  

As you are registered on the Core Surgical Training programme and have not yet completed your MRCS Part B exams, you are eligible for one subscription year free (2021/22 Subscription Year– 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022). No further action is required.  

Step 2: Submit Application Form   

Please complete this online Affiliate Membership Application Form.

We encourage you to apply for Affiliate Membership of RCSI and embrace the opportunities presented to you through becoming an Affiliate Member as it allows you to explore surgery as a career, demonstrates your commitment to surgery as a profession and develops your portfolio at this critical point in your education. Further information about the pathway to Affiliate Membership and the benefits are available here.

We welcome you to contact us with any feedback or questions you may have by emailing us at fellows@rcsi.com. 

Kind regards,

Fellows and Members Team

A new position statement on the recommended maximum duration of antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery has been agreed by the RCSI National Clinical Programme for Surgery (NCPS), the HSE antimicrobial resistance and infection control team (AMRIC), the HSE national clinical programmes and the postgraduate training bodies for surgery, anaesthesia and obstetrics.

The primary drive for this initiative is to reduce the risk of patient harm from unnecessary doses of preventative antibiotics around the time of surgery.

Evidence shows that the majority of patients need just one dose of antibiotic to prevent surgical site infection but an Irish audit in September and October 2020 showed that prophylaxis exceeded a single dose in 62% of patients. For comparison, a 2017 European study performed in Scotland demonstrated that only 35% of patients received more than one dose of antibiotic for prophylaxis.

The position statement is intended to represent clear recommendations, supported by evidence and the broadest possible consensus of expert opinion in Ireland, regarding generally accepted maximum durations of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis for different types of surgery.

A collaborative working group including AMRIC and the NCPS have developed additional resources to support the implementation and launch of this programme. These resources include an audit tool, posters, a PowerPoint presentation and an eLearning module. The eLearning module is available through HSeLand and focusses on all aspects of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis including “the right duration.” The eLearning module can be used towards Irish Medical Council CPD requirements.

Professor Deborah McNamara, Co-Lead, NCPS, said “Reducing the risk of surgical site infection is a priority for every surgeon. We welcome this guidance that will give surgeons and their teams, further tools to support best practice while also minimising patient harm and the development of antimicrobial resistance in Ireland.”

Running for the second year, the workshop, initially developed as a solution to training during the COVID-19 pandemic, gave the participants the opportunity to learn techniques in a wide range of endoscopic sinus surgical procedures, in a simulated environment.

Twenty-five higher surgical trainees have recently completed a simulation-based sinus surgery workshop at RCSI.

Running for the second year, the workshop, initially developed as a solution to training during the COVID-19 pandemic, gave the participants the opportunity to learn techniques in a wide range of endoscopic sinus surgical procedures, in a simulated environment.

The workshop was open to senior trainees on the Irish Otolaryngology Training Programme. It was hosted by Ms Mona Thornton, Consultant Otolaryngologist St Vincent's University Hospital and The Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital, and Mr Peter Lacy, Consultant Otolaryngologist at Beaumont University Hospital, Dublin, along with ten consultant rhinology specialists from around the country.

The surgical procedures were demonstrated on a simulation model based on real patient CT sinus data. The model was made using a variety of materials and techniques to replicate different anatomical structures including bone, skin and nasal mucosa. Trainees were shown how to perform surgical procedures and other important areas, including ergonomics, correct use of scopes and instruments and operating theatre setup, were also demonstrated.

Ms Mona Thornton, said: "This model has the potential to transform how we can deliver training to our future trainees by bypassing some of the limitations of traditional cadaveric training. It affords wider opportunities for training in the future."

Mr Peter Lacy said: "While the gold standard for teaching endoscopic sinus surgery is cadaveric dissection, continual improvements in anatomical models and simulation provide increasingly realistic clinical scenarios, affording trainers the opportunity to demonstrate basic and advanced surgical procedures. The ability to combine the most modern surgical instruments, including powered, navigable debriders and drills, with these models allowed for very realistic training."

Ms Thornton said: "The future of simulation training in rhinology is very exciting. Through further collaboration with Medtronic and partnership with Touch Surgery, there are now opportunities for hospital-based training both at an individual level and in a multidisciplinary setting. Remote learning is also possible and proved valuable last year when we were unable to invite international colleagues to our annual course."

The workshop was supported by consultant faculty, staff at the RCSI Simulation Centre, Irish Hospital Supplies and Medtronic. RCSI has been at the forefront of educating healthcare professionals for over 230 years, beginning as the home of surgical training in Ireland and now offering a range of programmes for surgeons and healthcare professionals across the spectrum of medicine and health sciences.

The National Surgical Training Programme (NSTP) is an eight-year training programme intended for medical graduates who have completed their internship and wish to pursue a career in surgery. While training primarily takes place in the hospital, trainees are required to attend mandatory training days in the RCSI as part of their curriculum. RCSI's simulation centre contains a virtual hospital with wards, outpatients' clinics, birthing suite and a full operating theatre and trauma facility.

Join our online community of inter-professional patient safety advocates. Applications now open for September 2022 intake

Applications are now open for our online PG Diploma/MSc in Human Factors in Patient Safety programme for September 2022 intake.

This innovative online postgraduate programme is now available to complete in one year as a Postgraduate Diploma or over two years as a Postgraduate Master’s Degree. Please click here for more information about our Human Factors in Patient Safety programme.

This programme supports candidates who wish to become experts in delivering patient safety and quality improvement initiatives in acute hospitals. It is positioned at level 9 on the NFQ and is a fully inter-professional programme developed to meet the needs of surgeons, physicians, anaesthesiologists, emergency medicine doctors, obstetricians, pharmacists, nurses and midwives working in the hospital setting, as well as safety and quality managers.

All applications are assessed on a rolling basis and places offered accordingly (offers may be made subject to meeting all application criteria at a later time).

Click here to read our recent Human Factors in Patient Safety testimonial from a past student.