Paediatric Surgery

Specialty Champions

2024-2025: Milan Kapoor & Laura Sanders

2025-2026: x

 

An introduction to Paediatric Surgery

Paediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery that focuses on the surgical needs of infants, children and adolescents. It deals with diseases of many different body systems and is only defined by the age of the patient. Common surgeries you might encounter in this specialty include ENT, biliary atresia, congenital defects, hernia repairs and fracture fixations.

 Paediatric surgeons must be aware of the physiological differences between the age groups.

 

What are some of the sub-specialties of Paediatric Surgery?

  • General

  • Trauma

  • ENT

  • Urology

  • Neonatal

  • Foetal Medicine

  • Oncology

  • Thoracic

 

What is the training pathway for Paediatric Surgery?

Training Pathway – 8 Years in total

  • Core Surgical Training is required for 2 years

  • Specialty Training for 6 years – rotations through general surgery of childhood, oncology, urology, thoracic, upper and lower gastrointestinal surgery.

  • FRCS - Intercollegiate Specialty Board (ISB) examination in Paediatric surgery

  • Run-through training is piloted in **(Look into)

  • Taster Weeks during Foundation Years

  • BAPS - So you want to be a Paediatric Surgeon

 

What are some of the recommended learning outcomes relevant to Paediatric Surgery?

QUB Learning Outcomes

  • You should be able to list the 3-4 commonest causes of these symptoms/signs at various ages and be able to differentiate these (by features and investigations).

    • Abdominal masses

    • Abdominal pain

    • Vomiting

    • Abdominal swelling/distension

  • You should be able to describe - aetiology, presentation, natural history, signs, diagnosis and basic management of:

    • Bowel obstruction (various ages)

    • Appendicitis

    • Inguinal hernia

    • Hydrocele

    • Undescended testes

    • Hypospadias

    • Torsion of testis

    • Malrotation

    • Intussusception

    • Meconium ileus

    • Hirschsprung disease

    • Necrotising enterocolitis

    • Gastroschisis

    • Exomphalos (omphalocele)

    • Pyloric stenosis

    • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia

    • Oesophageal atresia

    • Tracheo-oesophageal fistula

 MLA Content Map

 
 

What are some of the professional organisations which pertain to Paediatric Surgery?

 
 

Signposting for relevant Paediatric Surgery events and opportunities

Conferences

  • European Paediatric Surgeons’ Association (EUPSA) Congress

  • Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh Triennial and ICOSET Conference, Edinburgh

  • British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS) Congress

 Relevant QUB SSCs

  • Child Protection – Year 2

  • Managing Univentricular Hearts – Year 2

  • Paediatric Emergency Medicine – Year 2

  • Anorexia Nervosa in Childhood and Adolescence – Year 3

  • Global Child Health – Year 3

  • Working with Children with Disabilities – Year 3

  • Inherited Metabolic Diseases in Children and Adults – Year 3

 Relevant Intercalation Opportunities

  • MSc in Clinical Anatomy

  • BSc Child Health Research (University of Bristol)

 Electives Opportunities