Not only is it the most enjoyable and rewarding surgical skills course run in Aberdeen for undergraduates, it is also affiliated with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, with access to online training videos and the option to become an affiliate member of the college afterwards, alongside an official certificate for the course. Our Suturing and Practical Skills Convenor, Oliver attended the course last year and gave us his views about the course.
I attended the Future Surgeons Key Skills event in 2020, it was a fantastic day!
The event covers a broad range of essential surgical skills, such as how to gown and glove, make incisions and close wounds with interrupted sutures, to lesion excision and the principles of endoscopy and diathermy (full course details can be found on the RCSed website).
For me, the highlight of the course is the instructor to student ratio, as you genuinely receive close guidance from extremely experienced surgeons throughout every aspect in the course. Furthermore, the style in which the instructors deliver the course is both supportive and encouraging, where no question is too trivial and there is no prior assumption of surgical skill or knowledge, so you never feel ‘out of your depth’.
In the case of Aberdeen, the event is facilitated by the Ogston Surgical Society, who essentially host the event and support the teaching provision during the day. They also organised a splendid lunch, with all your favourite biscuits!
Overall, it is a fantastic event and one that would undoubtedly be of benefit to anyone who is interested in pursuing a surgical or interventional career, or anyone who simply wishes to gain further experience in surgical skills, beyond what their MBChB programme will provide.
To conclude, it is an excellent course and I am certain that you will have both a thoroughly enjoyable and educational day.