Surgical Care Practice
Train as a surgical care practitioner, providing care to patients before, during and after surgery.
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Surgical Care Practitioners (SCPs) manage the clinical care of patients and assist with technical and operative interventions.
As a student at ARU, you’ll develop your skills under the direction of a consultant surgeon. But you’ll also learn on the job, completing 2,200 hours in practice in a variety of clinical settings.
You’ll take the Intercollegiate Basic Surgical Skills Course (BSSC) too, to develop your core surgical skills and techniques.
To apply, you’ll need to be a trainee surgical care practitioner, working as part of a surgical team in a hospital. This course is not suitable for medical practitioners.
For enquiries, please contact the admissions tutor, [email protected].
Our course is accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons and based on their national curriculum, so you can be sure you’ll graduate with the skills you need to succeed as a surgical care practitioner.
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Develop your skills under the direction of a consultant surgeon
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Complete 2,200 hours in practice in a variety of clinical settings
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Join a course based on the Royal College of Surgeons' curriculum
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Prepare to act as first or second assistant
Study at an award-winning university
We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
Careers
Achieve an MSc Surgical Care Practice, which leads to the title of Surgical Care Practitioner (SCP).
You’ll be trained to act as first or second assistant, perform some technical and operative procedures, and provide support to on-call and emergency services.
Outside of the operating theatre, you’ll be able to:
- perform pre-operative assessments
- oversee the consent process
- prepare patients for surgery
- conduct and write up notes from ward rounds
- identify acute deterioration in patients
- provide post-operative care.
Teaching and modules
Gain the knowledge and skills you need to assist surgeons during operations, and care for patients before and after surgery.
You’ll also develop your clinical consultation and assessment skills to an advanced level, focussing on the presentation of surgical conditions and complications that may arise from surgery.
Throughout the course you’ll put your skills and knowledge into practice in clinical settings, under the supervision of registered healthcare professionals. In Year 2 you’ll learn about research methods, in preparation for completing your Major Project in Year 3.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
- Surgical Care Practitioner Core Generic Skills
- Clinical Consultation and Assessment Skills
- Phase 1 Assessment of Clinical Practice for Surgical Care Practitioners
- Phase 1/Early Phase 2 transitional assessment of clinical practice for Surgical Care Practitioners
- Surgical Care Practitioner Skills
- Postgraduate Research Design (30 credits)
- Final Assessment of Clinical Practice for Surgical Care Practitioners
- Postgraduate Research Project
Facilities
Study at ARU and use purpose-built skills labs and the Anatomy Centre in our School of Medicine.
You’ll learn from registered, practicing tutors and lecturers who’ll make sure you’re being taught the latest techniques. They’ll give you the support you need to succeed.