Welcome to the MCh in Surgery (Orthopaedics & Regenerative Medicine). This course has been designed in collaboration with senior surgeons and academics and is at the cutting edge of contemporary surgical evidence-based practices.  We look forward to meeting you and to you becoming part of a thriving group of surgeons here at Canterbury Christ Church University. You will be a student within the Institute of Medical Sciences, which is in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Social Care. 

Professor Baljinder Dhinsa
Pathway lead (Orthopaedics and Regenerative medicine)

Key dates

Course start date: 16 September 2024

Academic Calendar: Trimesters

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2024-25 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays. 

Welcome and Induction

Your Welcome Week is an essential introduction to your course and student life at CCCU, helping you to feel confident and prepared for your studies right from the very start.

It is important to check your Welcome Schedule for all the activities you are required to attend during the week.

If any of your welcome activities are in groups, your course team will contact you before your arrival to let you know which group you will be in.

Your teaching timetable 

UniTimetables provides an overview of all teaching activities on a course. Your individual timetable will be available via MyTimetable and is personalised to show you what modules and groups you are expected to attend.

Your individual student timetable can only be produced once you have engaged with online registration and created your computing account. It is essential you complete these tasks when invited, so that your course team can assign you to your teaching activities and publish your individual timetable.

Find out more about all aspects of timetabling for new students including user guides.

Welcome

The specialist surgical field of orthopaedics has been central in the use of regenerative medicine.  The focus in modern orthopaedics is changing as research exposes ever greater knowledge widening the spectrum of therapeutic options encompassing reconstruction, regeneration, and substitution. Research methods, studies in regenerative medicine and other emerging technologies feature poorly in the standard curriculum of the orthopaedic trainee.  This limits the quality of research output, reduces the potential for innovation and slows the rates of adoption of transformative treatments for patients, while leaving the surgeon unable to critically evaluate new treatments.  This programme targets this deficiency with a strong emphasis on research methodology and critical analysis that is based on a platform formed of in-depth scientific knowledge and proven by translation into clinical practice. 

Further, this course will enable students to be lifelong learners, having developed critical, analytical and evaluative skills at Masters’ Level, to undertake their own high-quality research and search for innovation, which in turn will further progress their area of expertise.   Integral to the course is the need to develop and enhance a culture in these students that ensure a willingness to challenge poor or bad clinical practice, improve service delivery and effect change. 

Surgical trainees will benefit from the large portfolio of innovative research and scientific insight into current and emerging surgical innovations (Big data and Genomic medicine; Regenerative medicine; Cell-based therapies; Bioinformatics; Translational surgery; Robotics and Virtual reality) and to inform clinical practice for championing patient care and safety. The world of surgery is embarking on a time of innovation and change that promises to bring huge benefits to patients. 

Getting started

You will receive 30 hours of direct taught (teaching and learning) activities per module. It is expected that you will fully engage with all taught sessions. Before you begin at University, please organise how you will manage your time, balance your other life demands (e.g. work, childcare, social activities) and plan your finances effectively in order to get the most out of your studies. There are a number of Student Services that can offer advice, support and help you to prepare for starting with us in September. 

You will receive 30 hours of direct taught (teaching and learning) activities per module. It is expected that you will fully engage with all taught sessions. Before you begin at University, please organise how you will manage your time, balance your other life demands (e.g. work, childcare, social activities) and plan your finances effectively in order to get the most out of your studies. There are a number of Student Services that can offer advice, support and help you to prepare for starting with us in September. 

Welcome and Induction

Please ensure you view and engage with your Welcome Schedule.

Please note that timings given in your Welcome Schedule for occupational health vaccinations are indicative timings only. Please check below for the exact time of your appointment, which will be dependent on your surname (A-Z).

Visit us in the Health Hub to get your questions answered and have a soft drink and biscuit on us!

In addition to your course welcome activities, you can also join us at our Health Hub, timings below, where we can help you with any questions you may have or direct you to the most appropriate service.

You are now on your own exciting journey, but you are also part of our community where we support each other to grow and flourish at university and beyond. Drop in and stay connected, meet new friends and your peers. Meet and chat to our placements team, academic course administration team and existing students.

Drop in on the 1st floor of the Rowan Williams Court building in RWf39 during any of the times below:

  • Thursday 19 September, 9am to 4pm
  • Friday 20 September, 9am to 4pm

Follow us on our CCCU_Health Instagram account to keep up to date with what is happening for students.

Occupational Health Clearance & Uniform

As part of starting your studies here at Canterbury Christ Church University, you will need to attend an occupational health vaccination appointment during Welcome Week.

Please note, as a Surgery student you will not be supplied with uniform by the university.

Occupational Health Clearance

Students need to obtain occupational health clearance to ensure they are fit to practice. You will be prompted via your ‘MyRecord’ to complete a clearance check and directed to an online health questionnaire.

Once you have submitted your questionnaire, you are required to attend an occupational health vaccination appointment appropriate to your placement requirements. We use an external company called OH Works for this. Ahead of your appointment, please gather any vaccination documentation (paper or electronic) from your GP or workplace to take to your occupational health appointment.

View your occupational health appointment location and time.

For enquiries about your occupational health clearance please email cccustudents@ohworks.co.uk or phone 01227 286288.

Pre-course reading

We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.

Before you start your course, we will send you some pre course reading so that you can get ahead of the module content.

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

CourseSupport-health@canterbury.ac.uk