Post by Ash Padiyar

I couldn’t encourage people more to take the Surgical Sciences iBSc at University College London. The opportunities that come with this course are incredible, and one highlight for me was attending Surgical Skills Week at Northwick Park Hospital. Throughout the week, I had the chance to develop both fundamental and advanced surgical skills-from refining basic suturing techniques to practising more complex mattress sutures. We also covered the fundamentals of scrubbing in and spent time using laparoscopic surgery simulators, which gave a really valuable insight into the precision, coordination, and focus required in minimally invasive surgery. Using the laparoscopic simulators also made me appreciate the ergonomic advantages of robotic systems such as the Da Vinci Surgical System. Being able to experience both approaches firsthand and feel the differences in control and ergonomics was fascinating, especially considering the growing role robotics may play in training the next generation of surgeons. I’ll definitely be signing up for more events where I can continue exploring these systems. My personal highlight of the week was microsuturing. Spending two hours suturing under the microscope really reinforced my growing interest in microsurgical specialties such as ENT,ophthalmology and vascular. We also practised the triangulation method for arterial anastomoses, which was both challenging and incredibly rewarding to learn. I could definitely get used to spending hours suturing under the microscope. Very grateful to everyone involved in organising such an engaging and inspiring week.