1019 The Surgical Skills Club: An Adaptable and Sustainable Model for Surgical Teaching

Abstract

Introduction The General Medical Council (GMC) stipulates that medical graduates should obtain competency in basic wound care. In a national review, only 24.7% of UK medical schools provided suturing training. Newly qualified doctors may be less prepared in performing basic surgical skills independently. Hence, Cambridge University Surgical Society initiated a weekly teaching programme, Surgical Skills Club (SSC). Method SSC covered instrument handling, knot-tying and various suturing techniques (interrupted, continuous, mattress and subcuticular), with 32 student participants. Trainees led these sessions, with tutor:student ratios at 1:5. SSC was designed to be cost-effective (£8/student); both reusable suturing pads and animal tissue were used. Glass jars were repurposed into knot-tying trainers. Participants completed questionnaires pre- and post-programme, rating confidence in skills on Likert scales; 1 (not confident) to 5 (very confident), alongside qualitative feedback. Results SSC was well-subscribed; most participants (88%) would highly-recommend it to peers. Receiving individualised feedback was highly valued. Students were more confident (scores 4 or 5) in skills post-programme compared to pre-programme (instrument handling: 21.9% vs 92.0%; basic knot-tying: 28.1% vs 88.0%; interrupted suturing: 50.0% vs 100%). Conclusions We demonstrated the effectiveness of a regular skills-teaching programme, where learning is consolidated through spaced repetition. This sustainable and accessible format can be widely adapted and implemented