Study Graduate Diploma of Surgical Anatomy

“I’d heard a lot of good things from people who had done JCU’s Graduate Diploma of Surgical Anatomy. The course is helping solidify my anatomical knowledge which is very important for surgical training,” Dr McDonald said.

“It’s also recognised by the Paediatric Board in Australia as useful for getting onto the surgical pathway.”

Dr McDonald is now in his final semester of the program. He had looked into several courses before enrolling but knew combining full-time work in a regional hospital with study was always going to be a juggle.

He said JCU offered the flexibility he needed to tackle the course.

“It's outstanding. People at my stage of training are very time-poor. Having to attend university a couple of times a week in a major centre, such as Brisbane or Melbourne would have been extremely difficult.

“Having the opportunity to combine online study and face to face learning four times a year is much more manageable,” Dr McDonald said.

“I couldn’t manage one day a week on campus and it’s difficult getting the time off to go away for two or three weeks of intensive learning blocks. The way JCU structures its course works best for me.”

And it’s not only the flexible delivery he’s enjoyed throughout the year-long program. Dr McDonald also believes the course content is right for those at his stage in training.

“It’s very useful and appropriate for where we’re up to. It’s delivered at a level above medical school. It gives us what is expected of someone who is going to operate and needing to be aware of what might cause problems, and how to avoid that. The dissection element of the course translates particularly well to real-world operating.”

He’s also appreciated being able to learn from world-class lecturers.

“You get international experts, retired surgeons with more than 50 years’ experience and anatomists. Getting those perspectives on anatomy, approaches and clinical relevance is extremely useful. I’ve also found everyone to be very approachable.”

Dr McDonald’s next challenge involves heading to Adelaide to start in paediatric surgery. He said the course is valuable for anyone looking to pursue a future in surgery.

“I would recommend this course to anyone who is about to sit their exam, those who have already sat their exam, or who want to refresh their anatomical knowledge. It's also great for those who simply haven't done a cadaveric dissection before. It’s quite broad in what it can offer so there’s a wide scope of people who would benefit from this course.”

Find out more about studying a Graduate Diploma of Surgical Anatomy at James Cook University.