The National Online Teaching Programme (NOTP) Surgical Research Course provides core research methods training for all surgical specialties and is endorsed by all four Surgical Royal Colleges, as well as the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) and Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE).
Justin Wormald who led the development of the programme with NDORMS colleagues Daan Baron, Shiraz Shafi, and Abby Shaw, said: 'This is a highly comprehensive and accessible surgical research methods course, focusing on the basics of clinical research and surgical trials, delivered as part of the NOTP. Every surgical trainee, regardless of specialty and grade, will now have access to a high-quality, evidence-based research training programme. Our aim was to create something rigorous, accessible, and nationally consistent, helping to reduce differential attainment and give all trainees the tools they need to engage in high-quality surgical research.'
The course content aligns closely with the Bristol, Oxford and Aberdeen Surgical Trials intervention Course (BOASTiC), and was produced in collaboration with this group.
The comprehensive online course will be the core material for research learning for all surgical trainees throughout their training. It introduces surgical trainees to the principles of evidence-based medicine, critical appraisal, and the design and interpretation of research. It covers both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, research governance, clinical trials, ethics, and biostatistics, and includes modules on systematic reviews, data analysis, and public health epidemiology.
Developed within the Surgical Intervention Trials Unit (SITU) and supported by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), learners progress through a series of structured e-learning modules, each accompanied by a quiz, learning objectives, and further reading. Upon completion, participants receive certification.
The course was commissioned by Dominic Furniss, Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at NDORMS, who is leading on generic training provision for all surgical trainees across the UK.
'We recognised a need for an accessible, standardised research training for surgeons,' said Dominic. 'The new Surgical Research Course not only meets that need but sets a new benchmark. It's a fantastic example of how Oxford research expertise can have a national impact.'
The programme, available free of charge to all UK surgical trainees via the Post-Graduate Virtual Learning Environment, is part of the National Online Training Programmes (NOTP) initiative.
'By emphasising critical appraisal, data interpretation, and ethical research practice, the course empowers trainees to integrate research thinking into everyday surgical decision-making. It also develops skills in communicating research findings effectively, ensuring that new evidence can directly improve patient care,' said Justin.