As you will all know by now, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is featuring in four episodes of the new series of RTÉ's ‘The Science Squad'. The second of these episodes will air tonight, Friday, 27 September at 7.30pm on RTÉ One.

This week, The Science Squad visit RCSI‘s Department of Surgical Affairs, where presenter, Jonathon McCrea will be put through the paces to see if he has what it takes to be a surgeon. It has been acknowledged that certain natural abilities and personality characteristics can influence surgeons' performance. RCSI has adopted and advanced new technologies which have allowed for a move towards more skills lab training involving simulators, where surgical trainees can learn skills in a controlled environment, allowing for safer and accelerated learning.

The RCSI team, led by Professor Oscar Traynor, tests Jonathan's natural suitability to a surgical profession, highlighting both the new technology being used in skills labs and the human factors modules that are transforming surgical training. You can watch the trailer for this episode here.

Speaking ahead of Friday's programme, Prof Traynor said, "It was a pleasure to welcome Jonathon of The Science Squad to RCSI. Although it wasn't all fun and games as we did put him under pressure when he performed his first procedure using the surgical simulator. This technology was adopted early by RCSI and they are vital for developing student's technical skills and hand-eye coordination which will make them excel when it comes to operating on real-life patients."

Investing in such technology, underlines RCSI's commitment to delivering better results that will enhance human health worldwide. RTÈ's Science Squad is presented by Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, Kathriona Devereux and Jonathon McCrea. Here is a preview of the other two episodes in this series that feature RCSI research:

PROGRAMME 6 - Friday, 18 October
GP Surgery of the Future - New technologies, from the Biomedical Diagnostic Institute in DCU, are now being used in clinical trials at the RCSI Clinical Research Centre in Beaumont Hospital, where Aoibhinn meets Professor Dermot Kenny to find out how these new tests could transform the future of healthcare. These developments allow for simple testing of major diseases, such as cancer, liver disease and cardiovascular conditions, in primary care settings such as the GP office rather than being referred to hospitals for major testing.

PROGRAMME 7 - Friday, 27 October 
Malaria - Malaria is a huge global public health problem, which claims approximately 1 million lives each year. RCSI has developed a new vaccine that is being trialled in Ireland. In this episode, Kathriona meets Professor Sam McConkey, Head of International Health and Tropical Medicine at RCSI and Principal Investigator on the trial to find out about the development of this potential vaccine, and speaks to some of the volunteers who are involved in the clinical trials.