Surgical Skills Day: Bridging the Gap

Abstract

Background The General Medical Council (GMC) requires all newly qualified doctors to be competent in certain surgical skills, including the provision of basic wound closure. Yet there is a profound lack of undergraduate competence in, and exposure to, basic surgical skills such as wound closure. The Surgical Skills Day (SSD) aimed to provide medical students with additional skills training. Methods Student self-assessment and instructors' assessment forms were completed prior to and following a workshop on basic wound closure skills. Paired t-tests was used to statistically compare the two pre and post-instruction data sets. Results A total of 46 students attended the SSD; 29 consented to the skills assessment. 100% (n = 29) self-reported improved competency in at least one of the skills following tuition (p < 0.001). Instructors' assessment agreed that 100% (n = 29) of students improved in at least one of the skills assessed (p < 0.001). 100% of the attendees agreed that additional practical surgical skills should be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. 64% (n = 21) of students also confirmed that they were more likely to pursue a career in surgery following the SSD. Conclusion Current clinical teaching in basic suturing is unsuitable for long term retention. SSDs can improve skills acquisition and elevate student confidence. This data builds on our previous work by documenting the high efficacy in skills acquisition as a result of SSD tuition. We recommend that SSDs be integrated into medical school curricula in order to address shortcomings in current undergraduate programmes.

The application of an intraoral banana peel suturing model in surgical training of dental students

“…11 Shah reported that mastery of intraoral sutures was achieved after 80 cases of intraoral sutures. 12 Medical educators have generally agreed that a single session of suture training is insufficient to achieve good results; students should perform repeated exercises outside of class to improve their suture technique, 1,[13][14][15][16] then practice regularly to maintain their suturing skills. 17,18 In this study, the good practice model and mastery of suturing requirements on the basis of our scoring standards enabled students to achieve sufficient and effective practice outside of class.…”

“…Third, questionnaires can be prepared by the Delphi expert consultation method. For example, Lee 1 performed a study in which experts discussed seven components of evaluation: needle holding method, interrupted suture, vertical mattress suture, horizontal mattress suture, subcutaneous suture, suture removal, and sharps handling. Similar to our approach, Gonzalez‐Navarro 4 used an evaluation method in which five components were assessed: needle entry and exit points on the same plane, appropriate suture length, appropriate suture spacing, appropriate knot tightness, and sufficient suture tension.…”

“…Before clinical practice, students require a long duration of extensive practice to acquire suture technique. 1,2 Continuous practice involves efforts both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, there is a need for a model that can be used repeatedly, which allows students to frequently perform suture exercises both inside and outside of the classroom.…”

“…Intraoral sutures are manipulated in a limited space, deep within the oral cavity; they are considerably challenging for dental students. Before clinical practice, students require a long duration of extensive practice to acquire suture technique 1,2 . Continuous practice involves efforts both inside and outside of the classroom.…”

Improved Confidence and Clinical Application: The Effects of a Longitudinal Suture Curriculum for Medical Students

“…To date, there is no standard suturing skill curriculum for US medical schools. Various curricula have been developed by medical school programs to address the acquisition of procedural skills [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] ; however, these courses are not mandated in the United States and are typically offered on an elective basis only. Many of these curricula consist of single-day training sessions, 12 sessions offered to those with an interest in surgery, 13,15 or offered only during their surgical clerkship.…”