Graduate Certificate in Surgical Education

The program has been developed to address the specialised needs of teaching and learning in surgical environments. Surgical education is unique within the broader discipline of medical education characterised by the clinical settings in which surgery is taught. Technology has had a significant impact and will play an increasingly important role in teaching and learning the complex sets of skills required for safe surgical practice.

Subjects will provide participants with a thorough grounding in theory and practice of medical and surgical education.
After the program, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss key educational theories
2. Use educational theory to enhance teaching and learning activities
3. Describe relevant policy, settings, format and processes of surgical education
4. Evaluate contemporary approaches to surgical education
5. Describe simulation-based education relevant to surgical training
6. Constructively critique educational practices
7. Appraise educational technology including e-learning
8. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in a range of educational settings (as learner, peer, teacher, examiner)
9. Design innovative educational programs in response to real world challenges
10. Describe approaches to researching surgical education
11. Appreciate the role of research in developing the field
12. Exercise appropriate professional judgment in the area of surgical education

Students must complete the 4 compulsory subjects (12.5 credit points each) to be able to graduate.

Core Subjects

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria –

• A Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery or equivalent qualification plus at least two years of relevant clinical work experience. It is important the students have an appreciation of clinical practice before they commence studies for this course.

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews and tests and may call for referee reports or employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Students who completed the Graduate Certificate in Surgical Education can gain a full credit (50 points) toward the Graduate Diploma in Surgical Education and the Master of Surgical Education.

The graduate attributes for the Graduate Certificate in Surgical Education have been built using the University Attribute framework. The particular attributes that are foremost in the course are:
Academic Excellence
The course will promote excellence in teaching and learning as a core skill in its students.
Knowledgeable across Disciplines
For medically trained graduates, this course will provide an opportunity to explore teaching and learning skills in a diverse range of media across a range of subject matter.
Leaders in Communities
Students of this course will already have made the decision to become leaders in their own field. This course will allow them to participate in the education of the next generation of surgical specialists – sharing their skills and knowledge to improve health outcomes.

Please refer to the website

Please refer to the website