Frequently asked questions

What is the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub?

The United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub (or SURGhub) aims to empower the existing and future surgical care workforce, with a specific focus on frontline workers in low- and middle-income countries. This e-learning platform has been created to gather all the existing courses on global surgery and make them available worldwide, to foster the development of all surgical systems.

Who is behind the UN Global Surgery Learning Hub?

The UN Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub) is a partnership between the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) & the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) and curated by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Institute of Global Surgery. It was created in association with the Johnson & Johnson Foundation.

What makes SURGhub different from other e-learning platforms?

The UN Global Surgery Learning Hub is a UN-based initiative that aims to tackle the gap in surgical care provision. It gathers already-existing curated content from various providing institutions, in order to make it more easily accessible for frontline workers and other interested learners.

How do I know whether the courses are of high quality?

Three committees have been established to guide the development and operation of the Hub, and ensure the quality of the contents:
- the Project Scope Committee: determines if the courses correspond to the needs of the learners;
- the Content Committee: reviews the contents and ensure they are of high quality;
- the Technical Committee: ensures that contents are of an appropriate technical standard and meet applicable legal standards.
All committees are composed of highly-qualified professionals, with experience in medical curricula and e-learning courses.

Who are the courses for?

The courses are designed for frontline healthcare workers in low-and-middle-income countries. Some of them concern specific groups of learners, such as surgeons, nurses or trainees. You will find more information concerning the target learners on each course page, right under the title.

Are all the courses in English?

While most of the courses currently on SURGhub are in English, new courses have been added in French and Spanish.

How much do the courses cost?

At this stage, all courses are offered free of cost.

Will I receive a certificate at the end of each course?

Yes, each course offers a certificate of completion signed by the content provider and UNITAR. To obtain the certificate, you simply have to complete all the activities in the course and then claim the certificate in the last activity.

Can I claim CME/CPD credits for the courses I take on SURGhub?

Only some courses are eligible for CME or CPD credits. This is mentioned on the course page and in the course description. To claim the CME/CPD credits, you have to complete the course on SURGhub, obtain the certificate of completion and present it to a local accrediting body in order to claim self-directed CME/CPD credits. We strongly encourage you to record the time spent on each course, to claim CPD credit that corresponds with the extent of your participation.

Do courses have any synchronous or live components?

Most courses that are currently offered are asynchronous. If the course has live components, this will be specified next to the course title.

How much bandwidth do I need to complete the courses?

Is there an app?

Yes, the SURGhub app is available on Google Play and the App Store. 

Can I access SURGhub offline?

The Hub will be accessible offline though the App.

Who owns the contents currently on SURGhub?

All contents remain the property of the providing insitutions, as indicated on each course page.

How can I learn more about the partnering organizations who designed the courses?

Each partner organization has a dedicated page, gathering all the courses they share on SURGhub. They can be found by clicking on the partner's name, under "courses" in the topbar. If you still want to know more, clicking on the partner's logo will redirect you to the partner's website.

Can I submit a request for new content that I would like to learn?

You can share the list of topics you would like to explore by completing this form.

I have created a course and would like to upload it on SURGhub, what should I do?

If you have a course for healthcare workers and would like to share it on this platform, please complete this form.

I have not created any course but have great ideas for new contents, what can I do? 

Our Project Team can work with you to develop new contents. We can create many activities, including written lectures and presentations, quizzes or other assignments. Once uploaded on the Hub, we can assist you in managing the course and interacting with the learners. You can contact us on our email address: info@surghub.org.

My question isn't on this list.

If you haven't found the answer to your question, you can contact us on our email address: info@surghub.org.