A message from the President of RCSI

This month I am pleased to share further details of the launch of the RCSI Early Career Surgical Network (ECSN) at the forthcoming Millin Meeting. I also wish to highlight the ongoing work of our Fellows and Members who are assuming leadership roles in relation to climate change and sustainable surgery.

It is also timely to recognise and acknowledge the efforts of all those involved in a busy period of Membership and Fellowship examinations that are taking place presently and in the coming months.

Early Career Surgical Network

I look forward to the official launch of the RCSI Early Career Surgical Network (ECSN) at the Millin Meeting on Friday, 8 November 2024 in RCSI. The launch of the network reflects the ongoing commitment of the College to building a supportive community for our newest Fellows as they complete training, undertake an international fellowship or commence their career as consultant surgeons.

Chaired by Ms Christina Fleming, FRCSI with the support of an Organising Committee that represents a range of specialties, the ECSN will provide opportunities for early career surgeons to stay in touch with peers in RCSI’s surgical community. As it develops, the network will provide practical information and resources that will be available online via a dedicated section on the RCSI Fellows and Members Portal.

The first of many events planned by the network was held recently in Galway on the Thursday evening before the Freyer Meeting. There was lively conversation and lots of brainstorming. You can read more about the night in our ‘Across the Community’ feature within this edition. The ECSN will host a session at Charter Week 2025 and is planning a schedule of networking events around the country over the next 12 months. The network is open to surgeons of all specialties who have completed Part A of the FRCSI exam, so please get in touch to find out more by emailing ecsn@rcsi.com. You may now also register online to attend the launch as part of Millin Meeting 2024.

Sustainability and surgery

As a College, RCSI is recognised for our strong tradition of taking a leadership role in areas of critical importance within surgery and in healthcare. I am pleased to report that our Fellows and Members are leading out on several initiatives to advocate for surgical practices that are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Many of you will have read the most recent issue of The Surgeon. This special edition focused on ‘Healthcare and the Environment’ and made for an insightful and interesting read. Articles ranged from the impact of anaesthetic gases, options regarding expiry dates of surgical equipment and sustainable orthopaedic surgery. It was gratifying to see the number of RCSI-affiliated contributors – from Affiliate Members through to our Fellows.

Professor David Healy FRCSI, RCSI Council Member, is the Editor-in-Chief of The Surgeon, and I’d like to thank him and the editorial board for shining a spotlight on this critical issue. If you have not yet read the journal, I’d encourage you to do so and remind you all that access to The Surgeon is free to all Fellows and Members in Good Standing via the Portal.

I’d also like to extend my congratulations to RCSI Vice-President Professor Michael Kerin, FRCSI for organising another successful Freyer Meeting in Galway on 6 September 2024. Along with a varied and high-quality programme of research by surgeons-in-training, there was an important session focused on sustainability in surgery co-chaired by Professor Camilla Carroll, FRCSI, RCSI Council Member, and Mr Muhammad Umair, FRCSI. This included contributions from Mr Declan Meally, Director of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and Dr Philip Crowley, HSE National Director of Wellbeing, Equality, Climate and Global Health.

Mr Meally outlined Ireland’s commitments as part of our national Climate Action Strategy, while Dr Crowley presented examples of greener models of healthcare. Low-carbon initiatives in surgery and anaesthesiology were highlighted by Professor David Healy, FRCSI, RCSI Council Member and Dr Dónall Ó Cróinín, Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland.

The session concluded with presentation of the findings of a recent national survey to assess the views of Irish surgeons on sustainability principles and practice by Dr Andrew Keane, MRCSI. This will help to inform Council’s implementation of a roadmap for reducing the carbon footprint of surgery in Ireland, as set out in the Sustainability Principles and Practice in Surgery Guidelines launched at Charter Week 2024. This work will be led by Professor Camilla Carroll, FRCSI, RCSI Council Member, who has been appointed RCSI Ambassador for Sustainable Surgery, and charged with HSE collaboration to make surgery more sustainable.

One practical step you can take is to consider reducing your carbon footprint by opting for a digital rather than a print copy of Fellows and Members publications, including Surgeons Scope magazine and The Surgeon via our new Fellows and Members Portal. You can opt to go digital by updating your preferences under the ‘My Profile’ section of the Portal – see here for the ‘How To’ video.

Membership and Fellowship Examinations

The coming months are some of the busiest of the annual examinations calendar with candidates worldwide preparing to sit their Membership or Fellowship exams. Due to the combined efforts of the team in Surgical Affairs, the Exams Office and the Court of Examiners, from September to December four MRCS Part B exams will be conducted while Fellowship exams will be held for nine different specialties. I encourage examiners to attend the annual meeting of the Court of Examiners on Thursday, 10 October. For details on the programme and to register contact us here. If you aren’t already an RCSI examiner, please consider getting involved.

Mindful that this can be a stressful time, I am confident that the more experienced members of our surgical community will continue to assist and support younger colleagues as they prepare to sit these exams. Some candidates may not be successful on this occasion, and this is often the time when a word of encouragement can have a profound impact on a young, aspiring surgeon.

Each of us can remember the surgeons who supported us on our difficult days. This collegial support is an important part of surgical culture that each of us has a role in maintaining. For those who are successful in their exams, I am sure you’ll join me in welcoming additional Members to our community and celebrating the achievements of our newest Fellows.

I wish to extend my thanks to all involved in the organisation, assessment and verification of the examinations. I want to particularly acknowledge those of you among our community who have volunteered to participate in the Court of Examiners – the College is hugely appreciative of your time and efforts, and we recognise that it would simply not be possible to deliver upon our ever-growing exam schedule without you.

Before I sign off, I’d like to encourage you to join us for the Millin Meeting. Registration is now open online. It’s a good opportunity to catch up with each other and I look forward to seeing you there.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Deborah McNamara
President, RCSI

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