Basic Surgical Principles and Practice Certificate

• High-quality, consultant-delivered education sessions
• Flexible learning with a blend of synchronous and asynchronous formats
• Learning designed to fit busy clinical schedules
• Syllabus-based education covering the core surgical curriculum and MRCS syllabus
• A mix of clinical, technical and non-technical skills
• Emphasis on clinical judgement and decision-making
• Education focused on developing skills for safer, better-quality patient care
• Access to a community of learners to enhance cohesion and collegiality
• Opportunities to connect with the NTSD group across Ireland
• Alignment with RCSI as a training buddy
• Pastoral care through access to personal well-being and career coaching
• Mentorship from a team of surgical and coaching experts

The programme consists of five modules as follows:

Module 1: Core Knowledge and Clinical Judgement

Case based discussions: A consultant surgeon will discuss a surgical topic which is highly relevant to clinical practice and will cover not only clinical surgery but also the basic sciences, including relevant anatomy, physiology and pathology.

• 9 x 1-hour monthly sessions, giving 9 CPD points.

Module 2: Clinical Skills

Module 2 is delivered as a simulated virtual ward round. Participants work in small peer groups to review clinical cases, including vital signs, medications, and investigations. The group discusses differential diagnoses and presents the case to a consultant, replicating a real ward‑round setting. Structured feedback is provided by the consultant. Simulated virtual ward rounds are a key method of clinical skills training and form an important learning outcome within the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (Capabilities in Practice). Teaching for this module includes a blend of pre‑course work and live online classes.

• 9 x 1.5-hour sessions per year, giving 14 CPD points.

Module 3: Technical Skills

This is a two-day Basic Surgical Skills training module held face-to-face in 26 York Street, RCSI Dublin with surgical faculty leading both training days. This module also includes skill development in theatre etiquette.

• 2 days per year giving 14 CPD points.

Module 4: Non-technical Skills 

This self-directed module is based on the Human Factors curriculum. It combines pre-course work with directed online learning. Course material covers communication, clinical handover, teleconsultation, open disclosure and consent. You will practise the communication skills learned in this module within Module 2 and Module 3.

Module 5: Professional Behaviours and Patient Safety 

As part of the programme, you will complete five sections from the RCSI online course ‘Professionalism in 21st-Century Medical Practice’. Each section takes about five hours to complete and is due every three months. For each section, you must complete the module and submit the certificate on Moodle. Each section is worth five CPD credits, which you should upload to your PCS portal when finished. This module aims to deepen your understanding and awareness of key issues in patient safety.

This course includes online live sessions on 'Caring for Yourself in Surgery' and 'Lifestyle Medicine'. All students will be offered monthly group drop-in sessions with a consultant surgeon and a surgical educationalist to consolidate learning from the clinical theme of the month.

Access to surgical mentorship, career coaching, personal well-being coaching and educational progression coaching will be provided by an expert team. The team consists of a surgeon and life coach, a surgical educationalist and life coach and a psychotherapist and coach.