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  • COSECSA
  • Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

For over two hundred years the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has played a major role in medical education and training in Ireland. Founded in 1784 to train surgeons, a medical school was later established in 1886. Today RCSI has schools of Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Nursing and Healthcare Management. In addition to undergraduate education, RCSI delivers postgraduate training and education through its Faculties of Radiology, Dentistry, Sports & Exercise Medicine and the school of Postgraduate Studies. The RCSI Research Institute is one of Ireland’s foremost research centres.

In July 2007, RSCI and COSECSA initiated a collaboration programme to improve the standards of surgical care, education, training and examinations in COSECSA countries. This collaboration is supported by Irish Aid and has grown into a “whole college collaboration” between the two colleges involving RCSI departments as diverse as Surgery, Exams, Anatomy, Pathology, Physiology, IT, Communications, Media Services and the Leadership Institute. The programme is overseen by a steering committee made up of Irish-based and African-based committee members. Among other activities the collaboration programme has delivered:

  • Train the Trainer courses for 312 COSECSA surgeons over 19 courses in 10 countries.
  • 27 COSECSA surgeon basic scientists completed 3-year basic science faculty development programme.
  • Membership level basic science courses, and fellowship level seminars.
  • Development of Essential Surgical Training Course for Non-Surgeons in rural Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia.
  • Equipped and supported 25 IT labs.
  • Joint development of e-learning platforms (School for Surgeons); development of E-Logbook.
  • Benchmarking of COSECSA examinations; Examiner exchange.
  • Development of database of all surgeons in the COSECSA region; research on surgeon migration patterns.
  • Suppot to development of COSECSA website and brand strategy.
  • Support to Secretariat administration processes.

For more information on the collaboration click the following link: www.rcsi.ie/cosecsa