About

From the providers of the highly acclaimed and prestigious Cardiff MRCS Courses in the UK, this intensive preparation course is aimed at surgeons intending to appear for the MRCS A exam in January or April 2024. The course will provide the attendee with an overview of basic physiological principles, consolidate the candidate's core and applied surgical knowledge in anatomy and relevant pathology, and provide a focused revision of pertinent topics as tested in the exam. The course takes into consideration the recent changes to the MRCS A exam, with more emphasis on basic sciences – especially anatomy.

In the forenoon, the emphasis will be on basic and surgically applied anatomy (except head, neck). The afternoon will cover head and neck anatomy, autonomic nervous system, spinal cord and lesions, cancer pathology, trauma, burns, principles of surgery and applied surgical sciences.

Topics covered

Forenoon:
SURGICAL AND APPLIED ANATOMY (except Head, Neck and Spinal Cord)

• Brachial Plexus, Arm, Shoulder, Scapula, Back and Rotator Cuff (includes upper limb nerve injuries, palsies and shoulder pathologies)
• Cubital Fossa, Forearm, Flexor Retinaculum and Hand (includes carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve palsies, hand pathologies)
• Thoracic Wall; Mediastinum; Heart; Lungs; Oesophagus; Diaphragm
• Vascular anatomy of Thorax, Head and Neck and Thorax (includes vascular access and chest drain insertion)
• Vascular Pathologies of the Neck and Thorax
• Transpyloric Plane, Anterior Abdominal Wall and Inguinal Region (includes hernia and scrotal swellings)
• Abdominal Anatomy; Hollow and Solid Organs
• Pelvis and Perineum
• Lumbar and Lumbosacral Plexus
• Femoral Triangle, Thigh, Popliteal Fossa; Lower Leg, Ankle and Foot (includes lower limb nerve injuries, palsies, compartment syndrome and ankle injuries)

Afternoon:
HEAD AND NECK ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, CANCER PATHOLOGY, PRINCIPLES OF SURGERY AND APPLIED SURGICAL SCIENCES

• Skull base, Head, Scalp and Face; Surgical Pathologies of the Head and Face (includes parotid tumours)
• Neck, Thyroid, Larynx, Pharynx, Tongue; Surgical Pathologies of the Neck
• Head and Neck Embryology; Pharyngeal Arches
• Autonomic Nervous System
• Management of Trauma; ATLS Principles
• Head Injury; Neurophysiology
• Management of Burns
• Cancers of Thyroid, Breast, Colon and Testis
• Cutaneous Malignancies and Melanoma
• Pre-operative Assessment
• Fundamentals of Wound Healing; Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery
• Principles of Local Anaesthetics
• Sutures and Suture Materials
• Vascular Pathologies and Vascular Surgery