Oral Maxillofacial Surgery MSc/ PGCert/ PGDip

Overview

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) is the surgical specialty concerned with the surgical management of pathologies of the mouth, jaws and face. It is a unique specialty, requiring a dual qualification in medicine and dentistry, followed by a comprehensive general and specialist surgical training programme; and is one of ten internationally recognized surgical specialties, which within Europe is defined under the medical directives. The programme reflects the surgical specialty in that its focus is on management of head and neck malignancy, advanced head and neck reconstruction, paediatric deformity (cleft and craniofacial), adult deformity (craniofacial, orthognathic and aesthetic), oral surgery, TMJ and the management of facial trauma.

This MSc programme in OMFS is specifically developed for surgeons training in that specialty who are at Higher Speciality training level or above (UK) or equivalent (EU/International). It is of blended delivery in order to accommodate the professional and clinical demands of the specialist trainees and aligns well for individuals with an existing postgraduate clinical training programme.

The educational aims are around skills, knowledge and professional development:

• To equip the OMFS higher surgical trainee with an in-depth knowledge and robust understanding of the expert skills and competence required to fulfil the role of an OMFS surgical specialist.
• To facilitate the development of a surgical specialist with knowledge and understanding of relevant policies, procedures and research and an ability to critically analyse these in order to improve practice.
• To promote the development of a surgical specialist with the advanced clinical reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills required to practise safely and effectively in the speciality of OMFS.

Career prospects

The career prospects in OMFS are extremely good and it is anticipated that these qualifications will further enhance employability. In particular it is likely that engagement in a research dissertation within the appropriate subspecialty will advance that individuals credentials towards sub-specialist clinical training or post-training fellowships.