Courses re-accredited by Royal College of Surgeons of England

It is with great pleasure that we can now officially announce the re-accreditation by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) of our MSc in Orthopaedic Science degree and Master of Orthopaedic Surgery (MCh Orth) degree.

A committee from the RCSEng visited the TORT Centre on Friday 2 December 2016 to undertake the re-accreditation process. This process is conducted every three years to assess and ensure the continued quality of the courses adhere to the exceptionally high standards expected by the RCSEng. The courses were originally accredited in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The RCS (Eng) committee, consisting Mr Salim Nazir, Professor Roger Vaughn and Professor Peter Kay (Chair), were given a Welcome and Introduction by Professor Rami Abboud in his capacity as Course Director. During a Summary Report, Professor Abboud highlighted the changes and improvements since the initial accreditation process.

The RCSEng accreditation committee with the MCh (Orth) submission team. Left to Right: Sadiq Nasir, Ian Christie, Dr Grahame Arnold, Mr Sankar Sripada. Dr Tim Drew, Mr Peter Briggs, Professor Roger Vaughan (RCSEng), Professor Rami Abboud, Lesley Lindsay, Mr Peter Kay (RCSEng), Sheila MacDonald, Mr John Dorgan, Dr Stella Howden, Mr Salim Nazir (RCSEng), Mr Arpit Jariwala.

This was followed by a detailed and informative outline of University Quality Assurance and Code of Academic Standards given by Dr Stella Howden (Associate Dean, Quality and Academic Standards), which was enthusiastically received by the RCS team.

The committee then met privately with students currently enrolled on the courses to discuss different aspects specifically from a student perspective. A Working Lunch with members of the teaching faculty then followed including a tour of the teaching and research facilities within the Department of Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery, and the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research (IMAR), which was given by Dr Graham Arnold, Mr Sadiq Nasir and Mr Calum MacDonald.

Also lending their invaluable support to the re-accreditation process were Mr Peter Briggs, the current External Examiner for the courses, and Mr John Dorgan, ex-external examiner and regular contributing lecturer, who has been a great champion of the courses and the Department over many years. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons and faculty members, Mr Sankar Sripada, Mr Arpit Jariwala, Mr Neil Valentine and Mr David Nicoll were also available to give an insight into the MCh (Orth) students’ clinical and theatre experiences whilst on the course.

“The reaccreditation from the Royal College today is extremely important for the MCh (Orth) course and the University as a whole,” said Professor Abboud. “It reinforces our continued efforts to improve an already world-renowned degree and it highlights the dedication of the small Team here at the TORT Centre, the excellent teaching faculty and the external lecturers who continue to return year upon year to support the courses and promote an unrivalled teaching experience. I look forward to our continued working relationship with the RCSEng for many years to come”.

Professor Abboud thanking the TORT Centre staff and MCh (Orth) students with dinner for all their efforts during the accreditation process.

The MCh (Orth) course was originally accredited by the RCS (Eng) in 2013 and since then various enhancements and additions have been made to the course. These have enabled us to improve the delivery of the courses and to enhance the student experience. Enhancements include:

• Printed and e-logbooks were introduced to record and provide evidence of clinical observership/assistance and operating theatre exposure.

• Thiel cadaveric workshops were introduced in 2013 providing the ability for surgeons to be trained on flexible joints that replicate life-like articulations. Examples of these workshops include the Thiel upper limb workshop by Mr Arpit Jariwala, and computer-guided navigation arthroplasty by Mr Kamal Deep.

• Previously paper based written MCQ examinations are now performed online which enables a rapid means of assessment and consequently a reduced waiting time for students receiving their results.

• Audio versions of most lectures are now available to students via the departmental Virtual Learning Environment, which are useful to reinforce learning and revision.

• The course continues to offer a wide variety of research projects with the additional option of pursing design and development of orthopaedic devices based on ideas from students themselves, which has resulted in five patents being filed in the last three years.

• The MCh (Orth) degree is now formally recognised by many state medical governing bodies in India, including: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal. It is also recognised in many countries in the Gulf and Asia for example, Pakistan and Kuwait.

• The MCh (Orth) website has been added to and improved since the last accreditation with the addition of a welcome video by Professor Abboud and several video testimonials by students on the course.

Both courses were re-accredited with no conditions imposed, something the committee was highly commendable about as it is rare for one course, never mind two, to be accredited with no conditions imposed. The committee congratulated Professor Abboud and his team on the effective management of these degrees and the great student experience they sensed when talking to the students. Plaques showing official accreditation for both courses are now on permanent display outside Professor Abboud’s office at the TORT Centre.