Undergraduate Course: Surgical Science (BIME10057)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Medical School |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide an introduction to key fundamental concepts that are central to the practice of modern surgery including minimally invasive surgery. The various subject themes address a range of topics including ethical principles, operative techniques, patient assessment, perioperative care, orthopaedics, organ transplantation, vascular surgery, reconstructive surgery and emergency and trauma surgery. |
| Course description |
This course will be subdivided into 10 academic themes indicated below. Students will also make a poster presentation in week 6 of a surgical topic chosen from a list provided to students. Each of the 10 themes will be covered as a combination of lectures, tutorials and small group work.
1. Ethical principles and Perioperative care
Principles of ethics
Informed consent
Surgical risk
Pre-assessment of patients and cardiopulmonary exercise testing
Invasive monitoring and safety
Theatre etiquette and governance
Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols
2. Surgical Oncology
Biology of cancer, adenoma - carcinoma sequence
Mutations and DNA repair
Tumour invasion and metastasis
Principles of cancer screening
Cancer diagnosis
Multidisciplinary approach to cancer patients
3. Innovative science in organ transplantation
Principles of organ donation
Principles of organ transplantation
Tissue matching and immunology of rejection
Immunosuppressive therapy
Complications of transplantation
4. Orthopaedics
Principles of fracture management
Bone cancers
Joint replacement
5. Vascular surgery
Vascular disease
Principles of risk reduction
Critical vascular ischaemia
Vascular embolectomy
Endovascular surgery
6. Minimally invasive keyhole surgery
Endoscopic and laparoscopic approaches to common abdominal problems.
Hepatobiliary surgery
Upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgery
Thoracic surgery
Endoscopic ultrasound
Colorectal rectal surgery
7. Reconstructive and plastic surgery
Management of burns
Reconstructive surgery
8. Emergency surgery and trauma
Major trauma
Acute abdominal emergencies
Pelvic fractures
9. Neurosurgery
Head injury
Intracranial pressure
Cerebral vascular disease
Tumours
10. Operative surgical practice simulation workshop
Techniques of suturing
Creation of a surgical anastomosis
Use of stapling devices
Laparoscopic surgery
The Surgical Sciences course will provide students with a broad appreciation of the range of modern surgical practice across a broad range of specialities. In addition, cutting edge research findings will be presented to demonstrate the approaches, methods and technology being used to address research questions by academic surgeons. The programme will use lectures and tutorials and offer opportunity for discussion covering the principles of practice in each thematic topic. The content is deliberately broad, with the intention of showcasing different surgical disciplines in more depth to students who are unlikely to see all of these in detail during their medical course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 21 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 45,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
151 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
End-of-course assessment:
A 2-hour written exam in December diet (70%)
In-course assessment:
Preparation and communication of a Power Point Presentation covering a surgical topic chosen from a list provided to students (30%)
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| Feedback |
The power point presentation will be assessed during the poster presentation session and feedback provided to the student.
A structured questionnaire will be used to gather student feedback on the components of the course.
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Surgical Sciences December Exam 2024 | 135 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and understand the principles of clinical surgery and apply their understanding across different surgical specialties
- Critically appraise the ethical principles of surgery including patient consent and surgical risk.
- Differentiate the research methodologies used in surgery and apply their understanding across different surgical specialties
- Apply knowledge and understanding of human anatomy, physiology and pharmacology to surgical patients and evaluate the role of technology in modern surgical development
- Make effective use of information and communications technology to critically appraise relevant information from the surgery research literature and present information to others.
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Learning Resources
| Resources will be available to students using LEARN including electronic access to key texts such as Principles and Practice of Surgery, Aclands Pathology and the Oxford Textbook of Surgery. Key labyrinth learning cases will also be available and other learning resource as recommended by topic leaders. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will have a broad overview of modern surgical practice and gain an understanding of important research questions. Students will be able to evaluate and critically appraise clinical and scientific surgery papers. Students will gain information and communication technology skills, manage their time effectively and work as part of a team in a professional manner. |
| Keywords | Surgery,orthopaedics,trauma |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Stephen Wigmore
Tel: (0131) 242 3679
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr James Hunter
Tel: (0131 6)51 4064
Email: |
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