MSc in Surgical Science and Practice

Clinical training programmes focus on the clinical skills for direct patient care. However, effectiveness also requires a range of non-clinical skills and knowledge. These skills are not covered, or are only touched upon, in clinical training curricula.  

In the early stages of clinical practice, close supervision by more senior staff allows a focus on developing skills for direct patient care. However, becoming an independent specialist requires a broader array of skills, such as evaluating new treatments and designing out safety vulnerabilities. Developing further requires the knowledge and competences to work inter-dependently: to navigate and shape the complex, interdependent systems of care involved in modern practice.

Appreciation of the need for a broader knowledge base and set of skills beyond clinical practice leads to a search for sources of learning and development outside the clinical training curriculum. Ad hoc advice and mentoring from colleagues is one avenue, while healthcare organisations and professional bodies run courses focused on particular topics such as leadership, writing business cases or quality improvement methods.

This master's course was developed to provide a more holistic response. The breadth of topics covered reflects the range of skills and knowledge needed by the well-rounded surgeon and healthcare professional operating in today’s complex environment.  

The curriculum is designed and taught by a team that brings together university academics, researchers with active clinical practices and faculty with industry, government and entrepreneurial backgrounds. It combines academic rigour with grounding in practical application. You will learn about the most useful theoretical models and concepts, then see how they are applied in the clinic, operating theatre and ward, through stories, case studies and class discussion drawing on the wealth of experience brought by your fellow students.