Master of Surgical Education

This subject introduces participants to the discipline of surgical education and the context in which it is situated including regulatory frameworks. Challenges facing the discipline will be explored. Several topics are introduced with the opportunity to pursue further study in subsequent subjects.

Participants have an opportunity to gain an understanding of the structure of the course, consider study skills and resources to support learning and use a range of educational methods to explore the contemporary context of surgical education.

Participants complete a range of exercises (readings, small group discussions – online and in person; web-based writing; journal review; presentations and two essays).

Overall aims of the subject are:

• To provide participants with the context and expectations of teaching and learning for surgeons and surgical trainees
• To provide participants with background knowledge on medical and surgical education including the role of government and professional bodies in regulating and monitoring standards
• To introduce participants to the academic discipline of education with specific linkages to surgical training and continuing professional development (CPD) programs

This subject introduces participants to a range of educational methods and their application in medical and surgical education. Benefits and challenges of traditional and new methods will be discussed. The subject draws heavily on participants’ experiences and educational theory. During a one-day meeting, participants will ‘teach’ and ‘learn’ in simulated activities. In workplace-based activities, participants will be required to design, deliver and reflect on their own teaching.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To provide participants with an opportunity to relate educational theory and practice
• To promote critical discussion and reflection of current approaches to educational programs

This subject introduces participants to education theory and its application in medical and surgical training. Participants will gain a broad appreciation of the ‘educational landscape’ with an opportunity to pursue one theory in detail. Both teacher and learner perspectives will be explored and participants will critically reflect on their experiences from both perspectives. The subject is intentionally theoretical as it provides essential grounding for all subsequent subjects in which there will be opportunities to apply theory to practice.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To provide participants with a working knowledge of key contemporary education theory including teacher and learner perspectives
• To consider the application of these theories in surgical education

This subject draws together essential elements of curriculum design – planning, resourcing, recruitment, selection, development, implementation, assessment and evaluation. Participants will review existing programs with respect to theoretical underpinning, educational methods and structure. Participants will be expected to design a component of a surgical training program using best educational practice.
The overall aims of the subject are:
• To identify best practice in curriculum design
• To apply sound curriculum design principles in a surgical training program
• To explore basic principles of assessment

Participants will be introduced to a range of research methods used in medical and surgical education. Key studies will be selected to highlight the strengths of different approaches. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods will be considered and ways in which these approaches complement each other.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To gain understanding of the breadth of methodologies for educational research
• To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of different educational research methodologies
• To critically appraise current educational research

This subject introduces participants to recruitment and selection in medical and surgical education. Entry to surgical practice is highly competitive. The profession has a responsibility to ensure that those who enter surgical training are those who are best suited. Current approaches to selection have been challenged. Internationally, there has been significant shift in methods. There are tensions in recruitment that include the need to increase diversity of trainees.

In this subject, a broad range of recruitment and selection approaches will be explored highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. Best practice in human resource management will be explored. We draw on practices in business and management including a range of psychometric tests and their acceptability and suitability for entry to surgical training. Further, attention will be given to the history of dexterity, visuo-spatial and other abilities relevant for the unique nature of surgical practice.

The subject will review selections systems from around the world research findings on validation including candidate, surgeon and patient reactions. Where training panels are used, issues in their performance will be considered.

We will also investigate selection methods for medical school which vary widely and for which there is a substantial and growing body of evidence. The widespread introduction of graduate entry medicine may have implications for entry to speciality training. The subject also reviews the extensive literature on career intention.

The subject advances also students’ knowledge of assessment in designing and selecting appropriate tests for selection. Additionally, students will be able to locate selection in the spectrum of curriculum activity – that is, from selection, through curriculum implementation (including assessment) and evaluation.

Overall aims:

• To provide participants with an understanding of best practice in recruitment and selection
• To provide an understanding of selection criteria and methods for measuring behaviours

Professional skills are an essential component of surgical practice. Examples of professional skills include situational awareness, decision-making, communication and teamwork skills. These have have received relatively little attention in medical and surgical curricula compared with other surgical skills and have often not been formally taught but expected to be learned through modelling and experience. This is no longer sufficient or ethical for learning in the workplace.

RACS now specifies a range of competencies expected of surgeons, which include professional, health advocate, communicator, collaborator, manager/leader and scholar/teacher. This subject explores ways in which these competencies can be taught and assessed.

Emphasis will be placed on some of these surgical competencies and the challenges associated with their teaching. Although communication is a core clinical skill, it is often taught in isolation from other clinical skills. We adopt a broad definition of communication – interactions in person or written with patients, their relatives, peers and other health professionals. The influence of technology on communication is considered. The content and educational methods most effective for learning about communication are explored. There is an opportunity to study in depth the role of simulation.

Safe surgical practice depends on many factors of which effective teamwork is paramount. The patient safety movement and drivers from within the profession have raised the profile of structured teaching and learning on teamwork. We draw on experiences from high risk industries and consider their application to promoting effective teamwork in surgical practice.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• Identify key professionalism issues in surgical practice
• Develop strategies to address development of professionalism in surgical training
• Identify issues that impact on professionalism and ways to support its development
• Expand the impact of role models on individual, group and organisational behaviour
• Outline training content and strategies for specific elements of professionalism, including person centred communication and teamwork.
• Reflect on their own teaching practice in professional skills highlighting strengths and areas for development.

Managing student performance can be challenging at many levels. Poorly performing or dis-engaged students may increase clinical risk, require intensive support, negatively impact teamwork both in the classroom and in the workplace, reduce productivity and lower morale. A recent survey at the College identified that identification and management of poorly performing trainees was one of surgical educators’ greatest challenges. This subject has been developed to provide surgical educators with the tools and skills to minimise the likelihood of students under-performing and to provide strategies to manage such students when they are identified. This subject explores ways to support trainees who are not progressing as expected. This is an opportunity to develop high level skills in learner-centred education. Theory and skills acquired in core subjects are applied in the context of managing the under performing trainee. In some ways this subject is an extended ‘master class’ in learner-centred support. Unlike many other professions, underperforming surgical trainees in the workplace can increase patient safety risk. Surgical educators need to be actively involved in strategies to engage their students, to identify and develop strategies to manage students experiencing difficulties and to balance trainee educational needs with safe clinical practice.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To explore and understand typical characteristics and motivations of underperforming students
• To develop teaching strategies that encourage participation
• To identify and implement a range of educational methods to support and manage underperforming students

Simulation as an educational method is of growing importance in surgical education. Several drivers contribute to this growth including the patient safety movement, safe working hours and technology developments of simulators.

In the United Kingdom, the Chief Medical Officer has identified simulation as one of the top five challenges for the health services and education in this decade. The last twenty years has seen an exponential growth on scholarly work on surgical simulation with specialised journals competing with clinical practice journals for impact factor.

In the United States, it is now mandatory for surgeons to be credentialed in simulation for specific surgical procedures prior to performing the procedures on real patients. It is likely this trend will expand to more procedures and across national boundaries.

The Australian Government is also planning substantial investment in simulation-based education for medicine, nursing and allied health professionals. This subject will contribute to students' understanding of social, political, economic and educational aspects of simulation.

This subject explores the scope of simulation as an educational method for surgical practice. It goes beyond the role of simulators for the development of psychomotor skills to include blended simulation modalities and the role of simulated patients. Additionally, the validation of simulators will be explored considering industry standards.

The overall aims of the subject are:

• To explore the role of simulation as an educational method for surgical training
• To identify benefits and challenges of simulation in surgical training

In this subject students are given an opportunity to explore fundamentals of medical and in particular surgical science and the highly contentious issue of the importance, amount and timing of pure and applied (or integrated) biomedical science teaching and learning in medical education. We explore arguments for and against different approaches drawing on educational theory to explicate current positions. This subject explores changes in content and delivery of basic science programs for surgical training.

Traditional approaches to teaching anatomy and other fundamentals of surgical science have been challenged. They are under threat for many reasons of which cost is a significant factor. The emergence of new medical schools, especially in rural locations further compounds the continued use of traditional methods for teaching anatomy. Of course, surgical science knowledge is fundamental to surgical training. However, surgical trainees now have fewer opportunities to learn using cadaveric and other traditional methods.

Technology has provided new and exciting ways to impart surgical science knowledge. This subject enables participants to consider the challenges and future directions of surgical science teaching and to evaluate and consider alternatives to existing programs. Students are expected to apply theories from core and other elective subjects to advance and inform educational practice relevant for surgical science.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To explore changes in content to surgical science programs
• To consider challenges to traditional approaches to teaching surgical science
• To evaluate contemporary approaches to teaching surgical science

Characteristics of educational leadership will be explored, including theories of leadership from business and management. These include trait, contingency and transformative theories. Originally introduced in subject 1, these concepts are explored in detail in relation to their application in surgical education. Teaching will explore similarities and differences between the contexts in which the theories were evolved and the landscape of surgical education. Students will also explore the conditions required for effective educational leadership.

The subject will also consider ways in which leadership can be taught at all levels of medical and surgical education. As a surgical competency expected of all surgeons, there is currently little formal curricula activity to support acquisition of leadership in this profession.

Students who aspire to senior educational roles, influencing local, state and national policy in medical and surgical education will be given the opportunity to consider strategies for lobbying government and other change activities.

Centres of excellence in surgical education will be studied. Where are they? How did they emerge? We will study historical factors and trends in other professions to project future directions of surgical education.

This subject is also designed to promote reflection on educational scholarship. What is it? How can it be achieved? How can it be sustained? We examine the learning environments we provide for surgical trainees. How can these be integrated into curriculum development

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To appreciate the role of scholarship in surgical education
• To reflect on leadership and the ways in which it is (or is not) supported in medical and surgical curricula
• To consider characteristics of effective surgical education leaders
• To consider future directions for surgical education and training

Assessment and evaluation are critical elements of education. Formative assessments are designed to support learning while summative (high stakes) assessments are used to make judgements about an individual’s success in an educational program. Both types of assessments and their application in medical and surgical education are explored in detail extending knowledge and skills covered in the core subjects.

Evaluation is the process by which programs are judged to have been successful. Effective program evaluation begins at the planning phase of educational activities. In this subject participants will learn key skills in program evaluation adopting a traditional approach addressing program structure, process and outcomes as well as exploring links between evaluation, decision-making and action and reporting evaluation findings;. Like assessment above, this evaluation topic builds on earlier knowledge and skills of program evaluation from the core subjects.

Although inextricable linked, assessment and evaluation have different functions.

This subject provides the basis for detailed studies on these two critical components of curricula.

The overall aims of the subject are:

• To review the nature and purpose of assessments in professional education
• To explore challenges associated with assessments in professional education
• To explore the range of program evaluation methodologies

This two part subject will allow students to develop and investigate a research question of relevance to surgical education. Participants will design and implement a research project drawing on research methodologies from education. Participants will need to consider and where appropriate seek human research ethics approval for their study. Traditional approaches to research projects will be followed including a critical review of relevant literature, writing researchable question/s, designing appropriate methodologies, analyzing and reporting results, discussion including framing results in existing literature and drawing conclusion. Participants are also expected to demonstrate effective academic writing skills and present their project in an oral presentation.

The overall aims of this subject are:

• To deepen understanding of educational research methodology
• To provide participants with an opportunity to conduct a research project in surgical education
• To apply skills relevant for educational research

Refer to MEDS90029 Minor Thesis Part 1