UK FRCS Royal College of Surgeons

The FRCS curriculum (updated 2021) includes the following topics.

General surgery of childhood 

Groin

  • Inguinal hernia 
  • Hydrocoele 
  • Undescended testis 
  • Penile conditions 
  • Acute scrotum 

Abdominal wall pathologies 

  • Umbilical hernia 
  • Supra-umbilical hernia 
  • Epigastric hernia 

Skin lesions 

  • Pilomatrixoma 
  • Dermoid cyst 
  • Sebaceous cyst 
  • Lymph nodes 

Head and neck lesions 

  • Thyroglossal cyst 
  • Branchial cysts and remnants 
  • Vascular tumours and malformations
    • Vascular anomalies 
    • Pathophysiology 
    • Differential diagnosis 
    • Indications and outcome of therapy 
    • Cystic hygroma 

Vascular access 

  • Technical skills for vascular access
  • Anatomy and anomalies
  • PD catheter and insertion 

Emergency Paediatric Surgery

  • Pyloric stenosis
  • Intussusception
  • Appendicitis
  • Abdominal pain

General topics in Paediatric Surgery

  • Pyloric Stenosis
  • Gastroesophageal reflux 
  • Constipation 
  • GI bleeding 
  • Intestinal obstruction 
  • Inflammatory bowel disease 
  • Child safeguarding
    • Principles of consent
    • Child abuse  
      • Principles and legal duty
      • Referral 
      • Imaging 

Liver

  • Short bowel syndrome
  • Liver disease
  • Biliary atresia 
  • Choledochal cyst 
  • Kasai Procedure 
  • Spleen 

Neonatal surgery 

  • Oesophageal atresia and tracheosophageal fistula 
  • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia 
  • Intestinal atresia 
  • Pyloric atresia 
  • Duodenal atresia 
  • Jejunal and ileal atresia 
  • Colonic atresia 
  • Rectal atresia 
  • Duplication anomalies
  • Meconium ileus 
  • Malrotation 
  • Hirschprungs disease 
  • Anorectal malformation 
  • Necrotising enterocolitis 
  • Neonatal abdominal wall defects: gastroschisis 
  • Neonatal abdominal wall defects: exomphalos 
  • Disorders of sex development 
  • Antenatal management 

Oncology 

  • Tumour biopsy 
  • Wilms tumour 
  • Neuroblastoma 
  • Hepatoblastoma 
  • Soft tissue tumours 
  • Haematological malignancy 
  • Leukaemia 
  • Lymphoma  
  • Osteosarcoma 
  • Benign tumours 
  • Benign ovarian tumour 
  • Other Adrenal tumours 
  • Thyroid tumours 
  • Parathyroid disease 
  • Sacrococcygeall teratoma 

Endocrine disease and Breast

  • Diabetes 
  • Disorders of growth 
  • Disorders of sex development 
  • Thyroid 
  • Breast presentations in childhood

Thoracic surgery 

  • Chest wall anomalies 
  • Pectus carinatum 
  • Pectus excavatum 
  • Poland syndrome 
  • Congenital lung anomalies 
  • CPAM: congenital pulmonary airway anomalies 
  • Bronchopulmonary sequestration 
  • Congenital lobar emphysema 
  • Acquired lung anomalies 
  • Pneumonia and empyema 
  • Inhaled foreign body 
  • Tracheal anomalies 
  • Trachoomalacia 
  • Tracheostomy 
  • Aortopexy 

Urology 

  • Urinary tract infection 
  • Haematuria 
  • Problems of the urethral meatus 
  • Hypospadias 
  • Upper tract obstruction: Vesico-ureteric junction  
  • Upper tract obstruction: Pelvi-ureteruc junction  
  • Posterior urethral valves 
  • Urinary tract calculus disease 
  • Bladder dysfunction 
  • Neurogenic bladder 
  • Overactive bladder 
  • Renal failure 
  • Bladder extrophy 
  • Epispadias 
  • Duplication of the urinary tract 
  • Vesico-ureteric reflux 
  • Urethral anomalies 

Neurosurgery  

  • Referral 
  • Hydrocephalus 
  • Spins bifida  
    • Basic principles of management
    • Impact on health
    • Referral
  • Traumatic brain injury 

Operative care 

  • Pre 
  • Intra 
  • Post 

Related specialty knowledge

  • Cardiac Surgery : Major conditions, impact on health condition, referral 
  • Orthopaedic Surgery : Referral 
  • Plastic Surgery : Referral 
  • Opthalmology : Referral 
  • ENT: Referral 
  • Transplantation: Basic principles of transplantation and referral  

Trauma  

  • Initial management
  • Referral
  • Thoracic 
  • Abdominal 
  • Head 

National Health Service

  • Structure and function of management of NHS  
  •  Trust , health authority managerial structures 
  • Leadership
  • Supporting training  
  • Interview process 

Research and governance

Mandatory research governance course 

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