Surgical Care Practice

To join this MSc, you must be a registered healthcare practitioner employed in a suitable working environment. The minimum requirement is a degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) in a health or social care related subject, with evidence of at least 18 months post-registration experience. If you do not have a degree at 2:2 or above but have been employed as a trainee surgical care practitioner, you may still be able to gain entry to the course if you can demonstrate evidence of study at undergraduate level (minimum 20 credits at Level 6) within the last two years. It is anticipated that all students joining this course will have extensive subject knowledge or work experience in their chosen field as all of the assessments involve the relation of theory to practice. An interview will form part of the selection process. You must provide written approval from your organisation to confirm that they support you joining the course, while a surgical supervisor in practice must be identified to support your surgical skills development. You will need to be employed as a trainee surgical care practitioner on a supernumerary basis for the duration of the course. Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure and occupational health checks must be provided by your employer. In addition, you must complete a two-day Basic Surgical Skills course, accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons, ideally prior to starting but can be completed within the first few months of commencement of the programme.

This innovative Masters degree is suitable for qualified practitioners who have been appointed to surgical care practice training posts within surgical directorates. Your role should encompass the provision of care and appropriate intervention within the perioperative environment, on wards and/or in clinics (usually within a specified surgical specialty). The programme will provide you with a systematic and critical understanding of the breadth and depth of knowledge within specific areas of practice. You will develop core and specialist surgical skills and extend your knowledge and practice within the surgical care environment. This will include some operative procedures that will enable specialist practitioners to provide continuity of service and standards of care to patients in areas which do not necessarily need to be provided by medically qualified staff. Eleven specialist pathways are available: MSc Surgical Care Practice (Cardiothoracic Surgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (General Surgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Gynaecology) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Maxillofacial Surgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Neurosurgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Otorhinolaryngology) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Paediatric Surgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Trauma and Orthopaedics) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Urology) MSc Surgical Care Practice (Vascular Surgery)

In university, assessments will take the form of essays, written case studies, viva voce (oral) examinations, written examinations and observed structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). In practice, you will be assessed using a variety of techniques, including: The Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS), where you will perform a specific practical procedure that is directly observed Case-based Discussion (CbD), requiring the evaluation of your performance in the management of a patient. This will provide an indication of your competence in areas such as clinical reasoning, decision-making and the application of medical knowledge in relation to patient care Clinical Evaluation Exercise (CEX), where a clinical encounter with a patient is evaluated to provide an indication of your competence in skills essential for outstanding clinical care.