The Master of Surgery (Latin: Magister Chirurgiae) is an advanced qualification in surgery. Depending upon the degree, it may be abbreviated ChM, MCh, MChir or MS. At a typical medical school the program lasts between two and three years. The possession of a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

is a prerequisite. The ChM can be awarded on both clinical and academic competency or on academic competency. The regulations may ask for surgical experience and a thesis topic that is not purely medical.

History

The Masters of Surgery, or ChM is an advanced qualification in surgical medicine, established in Great Britain in the middle of the 19th century. The qualification was designed to be awarded as a higher degree to the

Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

degree (usually ChB). Many universities have stopped holding written and clinical examinations for the ChM, and focused solely on the thesis and oral examination. Only

Oxford and Cambridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...

still have a ("Part One") examination before submission of the thesis and oral examination on the same for the degrees which they abbreviate as MCh and MChir respectively. Many universities stopped offering the ChM award when it became common for trainee surgeons to take the

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...

. examination of one or other Royal College of Surgeons in basic sciences and clinical subjects.

ChM Today

Following the success of its MSc in Surgical Sciences, the

University of Edinburgh Medical School The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinar ...

re-established the ChM award in 2011, as an online distance learning degree, in collaboration with the

Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

. The focus of the ChM was to prepare advanced surgical trainees for their

examination, thereby reinstating the purpose of the ChM degree and aligning it with th
ISCP curriculum
The ChM therefore combines the academic and professional development of the surgeon approaching independent consultancy. The ChM consolidates the application of specialist surgical knowledge in any clinical setting and is of relevance to independent surgical practice anywhere in the world. The online distance learning ChM uses case and problem-based learning and combines both academic and research components. Each ChM degree programme carries 120 credits which are taught at postgraduate SCQF level 12. The University of Edinburgh and the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

currently offer ChM degrees in 5 specialities ( General Surgery, Vascular & Endovascular Surgery,

Urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

, Clinical

Ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

and

Orthopaedic Surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surgery, Master Of Master's degrees Medical degrees