The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has rolled out a student information system to track and manage the profiles of more than 2,500 postgraduate surgical trainees with a web-based front end that integrates with the college’s existing intranet.
The new system was developed by the Dublin-based IT firm TeamDBA. It is built on Microsoft SQLServer and replaces a series of eight separate Access databases that had been previously been maintained by staff in separate departments. The company also provided technical consultancy on integration of a third-party application which tracks students’ clinical rotations.
Staff in the surgical training office now use the student information system every day for viewing, inputting and reporting data. By providing a single repository for all information instead of eight discrete locations, the system allows all records to be updated centrally and tracks the full history of each student from initial application to ongoing assessments by tutors and doctors.
For additional security, IT staff can now set role-based access to records for permanent or temporary staff. In addition, the functions of the system are intended to meet the reporting requirements of the college and allow RCSI staff to use information more effectively and efficiently.
Fitzpatrick Software Development provided the web front end for the system using Microsoft technologies. The interface fits seamlessly with the RCSI’s existing intranet. “We worked closely with TeamDBA to develop a high-end web application within a very short period of time,” said Victor Gannon, managing director of Fitzpatrick Software Development.
Dustin Thurgood, chief technology officer, RCSI added: “The completion of this important project allows us to greatly improve business processes within Surgical Training.”
By Gordon Smith
