50 reasons we’re more than just a Royal College of Surgeons
An insight into the friendly College
01-09
The Professional Home for Surgery and Dentistry for Over 500 Years
10-18 19-26 27-39
Leading and Supporting
40-44 45-50
Resources and Activities Innovating and Inspiring Research and Development And Finally...
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Nicolson Street Edinburgh EH8 9DW
T +44 (0)131 527 1600 F +44 (0)131 527 6406
85-89 Colmore Row Birmingham B3 2BB
mail@rcsed.ac.uk rcsed.ac.uk
Registered Charity No. SC005317
Our College‌
The Professional Home for Surgery and Dentistry for Over 500 Years
01 Since 1505, we have been advancing surgical excellence through education, training, examination and assessment.
02
We are one of the largest surgical colleges in the world with memberships approaching 25,000, stretching across over 100 countries.
03
Our reputation as a friendly and approachable College is one of the main reasons that we are the College of choice for professionals around the globe.
04
We are home to the largest Faculty of Dental Surgery in the UK which: promotes excellence in patient care across dentistry with a range of high-quality exams and courses; works in partnership with UK and international organisations to advance dental practice; and constantly innovates through ground-breaking initiatives such as the unique Faculty of Dental Trainers.
05
Our internationally renowned, multi-awardwinning museum, home of the Wohl Pathology Museum, is recognised as holding one of the finest anatomical collections in the world and is free to our membership. Recently refurbished to showcase even more of our unique and internationally important collections, it has welcomed more than 62,000 visitors in its first year since reopening.
06
Located in both Edinburgh and Birmingham, we provide support to our membership in all four UK home nations and beyond.
07
Our membership benefits from a warm welcome and a 15% discount on food, drink and accommodation at our own restaurant, bars, Ten Hill Place Hotel, and CafĂŠ 1505.
08 In our last membership survey, the vast majority of our membership said they would recommend the College to a colleague.
09
Around 600 diplomates attend ceremonies each year in the UK and across the globe. These events mark significant milestones in their professional careers and allow them to celebrate their achievement with their friends and family.
Our College‌ Leading and Supporting
10 Our reputation for excellence in examinations and education is unrivalled. We have made a significant investment in quality with in-house educationalists and psychometricians who provide rigour, expertise and quality assurance to the development of our courses and examinations.
11
We campaign and lobby on the issues that matter to our members. Our membership can trust us to identify and speak out about their professional concerns.
12
We work closely with policy makers and politicians in the four home nations and beyond to shape and influence healthcare.
13
We offer our membership a chance to develop professionally and make a significant contribution to the work of the College as Regional or International Advisers, course faculty leaders and conveners, examiners and, of course, members of our Council. These are all important opportunities for personal and professional advancement.
14
We support our membership where they work, with an extensive network of Regional Surgical and Dental Advisers throughout the UK and across the world.
15
We represent and support Staff and Associate Specialist doctors with a dedicated committee and Member of Council, elected by the Staff and Associate Specialist membership, to represent their interests within the College.
16
Our dedicated Younger Fellows’ Network offers advice, support, resources and networking to our Fellows starting out as consultants.
17
We were the first UK surgical college to create a seat on our governing council for a surgeon in training, to represent the interests of trainees within the College. Our dedicated Trainees’ Committee is elected by and for our Members, to develop College activity specifically for trainees and input into College strategy and development.
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We offer a range of flexible subscription options to support our membership at key points in their lives and careers, such as maternity or paternity leave and when entering their first year as a Fellow. We also recognise memberships from many of our sister Colleges around the world, enabling individuals to become part of the College without sitting a further examination.
Our College‌ Resources and Activities
19
We provide a diverse programme of events specifically tailored for different career stages, from school leavers to retired Fellows. Each year we host around 400 professional events, courses and examinations in over 40 locations in the UK and in over 30 countries around the world.
20
Our membership benefits from free access to the online resource Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy with over 300 videos, worth over £350 per annum.
“I would just like to say how delighted I am that you have granted Members online access to Acland – this got me through my membership exams and is just an incredible resource that I will now use very often!” Aoife Waters, Clinical Research Fellow, University of Liverpool
21 Our membership has free access to our College Library, which holds works dating back to the 1400s and provides access to over 30,000 books and journals. It also offers research opportunities through our archives and collections.
22
We provide exclusive access for our membership to online video lectures from our flagship conferences and events, as well as access to participate in specialty-specific webinars.
23
Our peer-review journal, produced in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, The Surgeon, has the highest impact factor of any general surgical membership title.
24
Our award-winning quarterly magazine, Surgeons’ News, in print and online, is stimulating and informative reading for our membership at all levels.
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We keep our membership up to date with the latest healthcare and professional news through our regular digital bulletins, social media updates and rolling news on our website.
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A range of social events allow our membership to network with their peers and colleagues across healthcare, share good practice, advice and information, and discuss the issues that affect them in their professions.
Innovating and Inspiring
Our College‌
Innovating and Inspiring
27 Our multi-disciplinary Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, the first of its kind, is a home for all those involved in patient care prior to hospital admission. It gives formal recognition of achievement through the unique Diploma in Immediate Medical Care and Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care.
28
We are the first surgical college to formally recognise and support the wider surgical team by creating a dedicated Faculty of Perioperative Care that embraces Surgical Care Practitioners, Surgical First Assistants and healthcare staff with similar roles.
29
Our Faculty of Dental Trainers is the first Faculty anywhere in the world to recognise and promote the critical role of trainers across all areas of dentistry.
“Training the dental team requires high levels of knowledge, clinical ability and communication. The skills of the trainer in imparting these often goes unrecognised and it can be difficult to access ongoing development. The Faculty of Dental Trainers is an extremely positive initiative to support and enhance the quality of training in our profession.� Professor Callum Youngson, Head of the School of Dentistry, University of Liverpool
30 The College is a founding member of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, which is the governing body for sport and exercise medicine in the UK, recognising it as a unique medical specialty. The Faculty’s mission is to promote better health for the public through excellence in musculoskeletal medicine, exercise medicine and team care.
31
Fellowship and Membership of the College is, first and foremost, a professional standard indicating that you have gone through a rigorous process to ensure your professional competence.
32 We are the only surgical college to be a partner in the 3D Definitive Human Project, which is mapping the entire human anatomy, providing a unique platform for medical, dental and surgical teaching, education and training.
33 We work with a large number of international partners to build surgical capacity and to develop curricular and training programmes around the world, helping patients worldwide receive the best possible care from well-trained surgeons and dentists and their teams.
Innovating and Inspiring
34
RCSEd was the first UK surgical college to launch national skills competitions for both surgical and dental undergraduates.
“Since taking part in and winning the RCSEd Student Surgical Skills Competition, I’m quite overcome by the number of opportunities that have become available to me, through the competition itself and affiliating with RCSEd. If I had known the doors that would be opened by becoming an Affiliate member, I would have tried to join earlier in my medical training.” Jamie Clements, Queen’s University Belfast and winner of the Student Surgical Skills Competition 2013.
“The whole competition was a fantastic experience which I would recommend to all of my colleagues. It was a great opportunity to develop my skills, for networking, to experience the facilities and services that the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh offers. The impact on my career has been extremely positive.” Hannah Crane, Dental Core Trainee at the Dental Hospital in Manchester and the winner of the Dental Clinical Skills Competition 2014.
35
With the University of Edinburgh, we are the home of the groundbreaking and award-winning Edinburgh Surgical Sciences Qualification, which supports trainee surgeons internationally through a three year, part-time distance learning Masters programme. This was the first fully online surgical sciences qualification.
“Most doctors have to travel abroad to acquire such knowledge and many do not return. By studying online with RCSEd and the University of Edinburgh, I have been able to remain in Malawi to learn, while continuing to treat those who need me most.� Dr Lughano Kalongolera, Malawi
36
We inspire the next generation of surgeons and dentists with our events for school pupils on how to pursue a career in medicine or dentistry.
“The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is a great college for helping those who wish to pursue a career in surgery. I attended my very first RCSEd event as a 14-year-old high school student interested in surgery, when the RCSEd hosted the Surgical Skills for Schools Competition in 2005 as part of the their Quincentenary Celebrations.� Rachael Fleming, University of Manchester
37
Our biennial Hunter Doig Medal is awarded to a young female surgeon who has demonstrated outstanding potential and represents a role model for young women in surgery by reinforcing our belief that the surgical profession is for all, regardless of gender, nationality or background.
“Given that around 55% of medical school entrants are female, yet female consultant surgeons in the UK are at less than 10%, collectively we have to work hard to ensure women know they can actually succeed in surgery. I was fortunate in that I had a key influencer in my father, a retired surgeon, who from an early age encouraged me and told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be, and continues to actively support my surgical and scientific career.� Miss Farhat Din, recipient of the Hunter Doig Medal 2016
“The FST is a world authority in surgical education and has introduced several initiatives that are changing the way we train future clinical experts. The published Standards for Surgical Trainers is the first initiative in the world to recognise, regulate and maintain quality standards for one of the most critical components of a modern surgical training system. This is a strategic investment in the future of surgery and will ensure the highest level of surgical education in the years to come.� Teodor Grantcharov, Professor at the University of Toronto and Professor in Surgical Simulation at Copenhagen University
38
We are the home of the UK’s only Faculty of Surgical Trainers (FST), established to recognise and support surgical trainers and maintain training excellence. Our FST is responsible for the first ever set of competencies and standards for surgeons who provide training, which has been adopted in the UK and countries around the world.
39
Our Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care offers the unique Mountain Medicine programme, which combines medicine and mountaineering and gives practitioners the knowledge to manage the specific illnesses and diseases that may occur in mountain environments.
Our College‌ Research and Development
40
In the last 20 years, we have committed over ÂŁ7million to support over 700 individual surgeons working in university departments and hospitals throughout the UK and internationally.
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Research supported by the College in recent years has resulted in publications in peer review journals, including Nature, The Lancet and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the USA.
We are one of the largest supporters of surgical research in the UK and have contributed to research in areas ranging from cancer to the health economics of daybed surgery.
42
Research and Development
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Our 2016 Research Report featured projects that received over £1million total funding from the College including: › Work on photoreceptor transplantation to cure retinis pigmentosa › Research into corneal transplants to overcome blindness › The study of ways to treat bacterial keratitis caused by the pseudomonos aeruginosa bacterium › Research into how to stop non-union of fractures
44
Our portfolio of grant and bursary opportunities allows our membership to be exposed to the rich diversity of experiences and techniques in surgery that are undertaken outside the UK.
“As an award winner of the 2015 RCSEd Africa Travel Bursary, I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude for your generosity in providing the means available for this award. The funds from the award significantly helped to lighten the burden of undertaking my medical electives in Johannesburg, South Africa. The clinical exposure in the emergency department on this placement was second to none. I most certainly feel that this placement has allowed me to improve on my skill set for both the patient centred and practical aspects of medicine.� Charles Badu-Boateng
And Finally…
45
The College’s Honorary Fellows include Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, past Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and Mother Teresa.
46
Fellow Francis Brodie Imlach (1819–1891) was the first person to use chloroform in the extraction of a tooth.
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King James IV, who gave us our Royal status, was a keen amateur dentist and used to pay his subjects to let him extract their teeth!
48
Fellow of the College, Robert Liston (1794–1847), performed the first major operation under general anaesthesia (ether) in England on 21 December 1846.
49
Secretary, Treasurer and President of the College Joseph Bell (1837–1911) was acknowledged by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.
50
Our official coat of arms features a naked man, but when Queen Victoria visited the College the stained glass window in the Playfair Building had to be altered to be genderneutral so as not to offend her majesty.
More than just a Royal College of Surgeons
home THE PROFESSIONAL
FOR SURGERY AND DENTISTRY
leading and supporting SINCE 1505