Success for Exeter student
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (www.rcsed.ac.uk) together with sponsors Medtronic (www.medtronic.com), has announced another heat winner of the nationwide Surgical Skills Competition celebrating future stars of the surgical field.
Following a contest hosted at the College, RCSEd is delighted to announce Aurimas Kudzinskas, a medical student from the University of Exeter as the competition’s South West heat winner, set to join the additional 19 heat winners at the Grand Final in Edinburgh in spring.
Surgery is an incredibly competitive area, so being able to demonstrate the commitment and the skills to become a surgeon at this early stage puts students at a great advantage later in their career.
The ground-breaking competition, now in its fifth year, has final year medical students from across the UK demonstrate their surgical talents and skills in a series of challenges. The competition begins with 20 heats, one at each UK medical school, where students are asked to undertake a series of surgical tasks such as suturing and knot-tying to laparoscopic skills tests with the winner of each heat announced on the night.
Professor Michael Griffin OBE, President of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said: “The Surgical Skills Competition is one of the high points of our College calendar year around the UK. The development and the acquisition of surgical skills is a crucial element for any doctor aspiring to surgical training. The competition for medical students is quite simply lots of fun but also represents a challenge, which I have watched many students over the years rise to. Last year’s competition was as keenly contested as ever and I have no doubt that this year will be just as exciting.”
The South West regional winner Aurimas Kudzinskas said: “The regional heat was thoroughly enjoyable as it were challenging. I would like to thank the faculty for their time and enthusiasm in making the event an invaluable learning experience.
“I highly recommend this event as a brilliant way of meeting like-minded people and furthering your career.”
Omar and the winners from each region will receive a travel and accommodation package to Edinburgh to stay at the College's Ten Hill Place Hotel and to participate in the Grand Final. The competition will culminate in Edinburgh on Saturday 14 March 2020 at which the 20 finalists will undertake a broad range of surgical procedures before determining who will be make the cut to become the overall winner presented at the Grand Final.
As well as prizes awarded to the winner and runner-up, all competition participants will receive a certificate of participation and gain two years’ affiliation to the RCSEd’s Affiliate Network. To find out more about the Surgical Skills Competition, visit rcsed.ac.uk/skillscompsurgical or follow on social media via #SurgicalSkillsComp
