Centres of excellence and scholarship
Our independent status allows us to set our own agenda in the pursuit of excellence in medical education, training and research. We set the pace that others follow.
Our three recognised centres of excellence in applied educational research and best practice are driving real advances in teaching innovation and curriculum design.
World-leading clinical simulation
The RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research aims to improve patient safety, education and research through experiential simulation-based learning techniques and tools.
RCSI SIM incorporates the National Surgical and Clinical Skills Centre, where professionals and trainees can master their skills in the multi-purpose ‘wet-lab’, Surgical Simulator Suite and fully-functioning operating theatre and trauma facility. Each area is equipped with the latest laparoscopic equipment and cameras to assist in teaching even the most precise skills in a simulated hospital environment.
The University’s investment in opening Europe’s largest clinical simulation centre ensures that we can continue to graduate healthcare professionals with superior clinical skills.
Providing an ideal learning environment for both supervised and independent practice, the Centre also focuses on the development of non-technical skills such as dynamic decision-making, teamwork, communication and professionalism, which are increasingly important in terms of character development, building resilience and leadership.
Health professions education and research
RCSI’s Health Professions Education Centre (HPEC) provides healthcare professionals with a wide range of teaching, learning and educational research opportunities, from formal qualifications to in-house training.
The aim of HPEC is to equip health professions educators with evidence-based teaching and learning strategies, enabling educators to utilise contemporary learning theories within practical teaching contexts. HPEC also aims to connect health professions educators with each other, nurturing a vibrant community of like-minded professionals.
The Centre helps RCSI educators generate new knowledge about health professions education and focuses on bringing this to an international audience through educational research. Specific areas of teaching and learning expertise within the HPEC team include assessment, technology-enhanced learning, curriculum development, and cultural competence.
Medical professionalism and professional identity
The Centre for Professionalism in Medicine and Health Sciences at RCSI focuses on advancing the understanding and practice of medical professionalism, as well as personal and professional identity formation in healthcare.
Medical professionalism relates to forming values, behaviours and attitudes that build professional relationships, promote public trust and enhance patient safety.
The goal of teaching professionalism is to promote the development of a personal and professional identity that incorporates integrity, altruism, advocacy, self-care, compassion, evidence-based and reflective practice, cultural sensitivity, compassion, ethical practice and effective communication. These characteristics form the basis of a social contract between the medical profession and society.
The Centre has launched the Medical Professionalism International Network (MPIN) specialising in education and research in the field of medical professionalism with a specific emphasis on professionalism for practice. The MPIN is currently establishing a network of members consisting of academic and healthcare institutions and individual experts to promote and facilitate multi- and interdisciplinary research in this area.
