RACS Professional Skills Curriculum

This curriculum will assist surgeons, Trainees, SIMGs and our colleagues to understand and navigate the complex skills required in modern surgical training and practice. The RACS PSC describes the knowledge, skills and behaviour expected of surgical Trainees in eight of the ten RACS competencies — Collaboration and teamwork, Communication, Cultural competence and cultural safety, Health advocacy, Judgement and clinical decision making, Leadership and management, Professionalism, and Scholarship and teaching.  These eight professional competencies complement specialty surgical training in the RACS competencies of medical expertise and technical expertise. 

The RACS Professional Skills Curriculum (RACS PSC) is aligned to behavioural markers that RACS has defined for Fellows in the RACS Surgical Competence and Performance Guide (PDF 7MB).  

The RACS PSC will support Fellows to supervise, teach, and assess Trainees’ and SIMGs’ performance as they undertake clinical activities in the workplace. The curriculum will also enrich and anchor feedback discussions that guide Trainee and SIMG development.   

This curriculum reflects the need for Trainees, SIMGs, and Fellows to integrate multiple competencies as they pursue the high standards of surgical care required for optimal patient outcomes. 

To access a copy of the RACS PSC, please reach out to zaita.oldfield@surgeons.org or sally.drummond@surgeons.org in our Education Design and Development team.