Undergraduates Interested in Surgery
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2025 11:46 am
Surgical Opportunities for Undergraduates
QUB opportunities:
In Year 1, there is a ‘Life on the List’ session that provides an insight into the world of Transplantation Surgery.
In Year 2, there is a Transition to Practice Lecture on Radiology as applied to Surgery.
In Year 3, there is a Preparation for Practice Suturing Workshop. There are also GMC Skills Videos on Suturing and Local Anaesthetic Infiltration that are being developed for the portal.
In Year 4, there is a preparation lecture specifically for Surgical MCQs prior to the Applied Knowledge Test component of the GMC Medical Licensing Assessment.
All students in Year 5 will get access to the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) Virtual Learning Environment and will have the opportunity to complete the RCSEng Systematic Training in Acute Illness Recognition and Treatment (START) course.
In Year 5, there is also the Magrath Prize, which is an optional MCQ exam followed by clinical exam for highest performing students on the MCQs.
Finally, QUB's official Surgical Society is QUB Scrubs (https://www.qubscrubs.org/), which is open to all QUB students who have an interest in surgery, anatomy or academic surgery.
Placement opportunities:
In Year 3 (in the Belfast Trust LIC), every student will have the opportunity to undertake a Specialty Focus Week in Surgery where they will get the opportunity to follow up a peri-operative case and have a case-based discussion around this case. In Year 3, all students will have LIC base ward opportunities in Surgery and in Year 5 all students will undertake a combined 8-week Surgery with Peri-operative Medicine placement (called PFP2).
External opportunities:
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) runs a Surgical Skills Competition each year. QUB Year 5 student Laura Saunders won RCSEd & Medtronic Student Surgical Skills Competition Grand Final in 2025!
RCSEd also offers Cardiothoracic Surgery Placements for Undergraduates.
Learning resources:
Various resources are available via RCSEng and RCSEd. So please visit their websites.
Our recommended textbook is "Principles and Practice of Surgery". The latest edition of this book is available as hard copy but can be viewed electronically via the QUB library.
On the Year 5 ‘Acute and Non-Acute Surgical Care’ page of the Portal, you will find key links to various learning resources including;
• All you need to know about vascular surgery
• Global Surgery
• Learning in Operating Theatres 2016 V3
• National Undergraduate Curriculum in Surgery May 2023
• RCS Consent: Support Decision Making
• RCS England- Quality Improvement in Surgery- Basic Principles- March 2021
• RCS England- Trainees Guide to a Quality Improvement Project 2021
• Young BJS Resources
• Behind the Knife podcast
Surgical Podcasts are a great way to learn and can fit in with your daily routine (e.g. listening when commuting to placement). As mentioned above a highly recommended Podcast is Behind The Knife. The ABSITE preparation episodes are particularly useful for exam revision and MCQs.
QUB opportunities:
In Year 1, there is a ‘Life on the List’ session that provides an insight into the world of Transplantation Surgery.
In Year 2, there is a Transition to Practice Lecture on Radiology as applied to Surgery.
In Year 3, there is a Preparation for Practice Suturing Workshop. There are also GMC Skills Videos on Suturing and Local Anaesthetic Infiltration that are being developed for the portal.
In Year 4, there is a preparation lecture specifically for Surgical MCQs prior to the Applied Knowledge Test component of the GMC Medical Licensing Assessment.
All students in Year 5 will get access to the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) Virtual Learning Environment and will have the opportunity to complete the RCSEng Systematic Training in Acute Illness Recognition and Treatment (START) course.
In Year 5, there is also the Magrath Prize, which is an optional MCQ exam followed by clinical exam for highest performing students on the MCQs.
Finally, QUB's official Surgical Society is QUB Scrubs (https://www.qubscrubs.org/), which is open to all QUB students who have an interest in surgery, anatomy or academic surgery.
Placement opportunities:
In Year 3 (in the Belfast Trust LIC), every student will have the opportunity to undertake a Specialty Focus Week in Surgery where they will get the opportunity to follow up a peri-operative case and have a case-based discussion around this case. In Year 3, all students will have LIC base ward opportunities in Surgery and in Year 5 all students will undertake a combined 8-week Surgery with Peri-operative Medicine placement (called PFP2).
External opportunities:
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) runs a Surgical Skills Competition each year. QUB Year 5 student Laura Saunders won RCSEd & Medtronic Student Surgical Skills Competition Grand Final in 2025!
RCSEd also offers Cardiothoracic Surgery Placements for Undergraduates.
Learning resources:
Various resources are available via RCSEng and RCSEd. So please visit their websites.
Our recommended textbook is "Principles and Practice of Surgery". The latest edition of this book is available as hard copy but can be viewed electronically via the QUB library.
On the Year 5 ‘Acute and Non-Acute Surgical Care’ page of the Portal, you will find key links to various learning resources including;
• All you need to know about vascular surgery
• Global Surgery
• Learning in Operating Theatres 2016 V3
• National Undergraduate Curriculum in Surgery May 2023
• RCS Consent: Support Decision Making
• RCS England- Quality Improvement in Surgery- Basic Principles- March 2021
• RCS England- Trainees Guide to a Quality Improvement Project 2021
• Young BJS Resources
• Behind the Knife podcast
Surgical Podcasts are a great way to learn and can fit in with your daily routine (e.g. listening when commuting to placement). As mentioned above a highly recommended Podcast is Behind The Knife. The ABSITE preparation episodes are particularly useful for exam revision and MCQs.