There's an app for that: medical students train on new game

The Royal College of Surgeons has launched a new gaming app for iPhone and iPad aimed at testing people’s medical knowledge to its limits.

The SurgiQuiz game will allow surgeons to obtain Continuous Professional Development (CPD) credits which all medical professionals need to obtain on an annual basis.

The game, which was developed by the RCSI’s department of surgical affairs in conjunction with the department of anatomy, is targeted at surgeons, health sciences students and anybody that is interested in human anatomy.

Exploring idea

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Oscar Traynor

[National Surgical Training Centre director] wanted to explore the idea of using video games as another method of teaching. He talked to me about it as my background is in video games,” RCSI learning technology manager Donncha Ryan said.

Ryan said people don’t want to be passively reading stuff when they can have interaction.

The RCSI approached Redwind Software to make the app as the game development studio had previously made a similar game for music.

“They had a successful game which was a music quiz. We supplied them with the questions and answers and they had the technology to make them into a surgical quiz.”

Ryan says the questions, of which there are 3,000, should be challenging even to people who are practising surgeons.

Users can race against the clock to answer the questions in different categories, or just use the practice mode to brush up on a topic.

“The real drive behind the game is the global leaderboard. People can compete to get their name on the board.”

The free app is available in English for download on iPhone and iPad.

An Android version is also in development.