Surgical Skills Training Programme

  

The Surgical Skills Training Programme (SSTP) is a unique and innovative training programme for surgical trainees in the Northern Deanery. The key aims of the project are to enable trainees to excel in open and minimal access surgery in both the elective and emergency settings.

Following from the success of the recent 'Minimal Access Surgery' project, HIEC North East has enabled a dedicated coordinator of this unique and exciting programme to be recruited.

David Macafee is a Consultant Laparoscopic Colorectal and General Surgeon of Childhood based in James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. He is also an Associate Lecturer in Clinical Education at Edgehill University and an Associate Lecturer in Surgery for the Stockton Campus of Newcastle University. He has an MA in Clinical Education having researched and coordinated individual and regional E-mentoring programmes for surgical trainees. He is a trained face to face mentor, has a strong educational research interest both in surgical skills training development and in the holistic development of future surgeons.

He has been involved in the construction of the curriculum, the educational research construct behind the programme and is actively involved in the delivery of each session in terms of hands on skills training or the media needed to deliver the course (e.g. training videos, presentations, educational documents). He is also involved in the building of a research portfolio related to this work which will also provide evidence for quality management purposes.

The Surgical Skills Training Programme (SSTP) coordinator runs the programme through the year and will undertake the following for each trainee:

• A learning and practical skills needs review
• Create an individualised training plan (preparatory work, setting up programmes on the high fidelity virtual reality simulators, focussed face to face feedback)
• Prepare and run 4 full days (CT 1 & CT 2 trainees), 3 full days (ST 3 and ST 4) and 2 days for advanced trainees (ST 5 to ST 8)
• Regular feedback throughout each session with objective assessment at start and end of each year

The course would be delivered within the NSTC facility which has a UK recognised training record with state-of-the-art facilities. It is one of the leading National Minimal Access Units, remains one of the few cadaveric labs and successfully runs advanced training courses for surgeons throughout Europe.
 

The Newcastle Surgical Training Centre (NSTC) is a unique training and development facility providing advanced cadaveric education to the medical profession. The unit is located at the Freeman Hospital (Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust). To find out more about the NSTC please click here.