Doctor of Clinical Surgery

The Doctor of Clinical Surgery combines surgical studies and training with research and prepares the candidate to become a surgeon.

This degree does not give the candidate automatic specialist recognition as each country and territory has various regulations and examinations that may or may not be necessary to be approved as a specialist. Specialist recognition may require an additional year or two years (depending on the jurisdiction) in supervised specialist posts or in full time research. Candidates are advised to gain approval for recognition of the Doctorate of Clinical Surgery course in their particular jurisdiction and to ensure that the Doctorate meets the standards for training in their jurisdiction and through their nominated specialist recognition authority. Candidates with the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons or equivalent have already demonstrated the clinical competencies required for the Doctor of Clinical Surgery. An admissions panel will assess these candidates in view of their previous clinical experience and qualifications and may grant advanced standing of up to 66 credit points for the clinical coursework units of study. These candidates will still be expected to undertake the capstone unit, the research component and the non-clinical subjects at a minimum. An appropriate time credit may be given as determined by the admissions panel. The Degree is attained by a combination of clinical, non-clinical coursework and research as well as an exit viva voce as part of a capstone subject. The course work includes all aspects of surgical practice and in particular communication, behavioral, ethical, attitudinal, health economic and medicolegal aspects of surgical practice as well as operative, psychomotor and cognitive aspects. The assessment of operative and psychomotor skills will be competence based. The clinical coursework will be conducted in an approved University of Sydney training hospital under the supervision of a University nominated training supervisor. These hospitals will be certified and accredited on a regular basis. The clinical coursework components will all be conducted in one or more of the following areas of surgical practice and the student must nominate, prior to entry into the course, the field in which the clinical coursework is conducted. The fields that are available are:
Cardiothoracic Surgery
General Surgery
Upper GI Surgery
Colorectal Surgery
Surgical Oncology
Breast Endocrine Surgery
Neurosurgery
Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
Paediatric Surgery
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Urology
Vascular Surgery