Medical student Katy Pyatt has won the Mersey regional heat of a UK-wide surgical skills competition.
She will now go forward to the final of the nationwide Student Surgical Skills Competition in March after competing against 19 fellow medical students demonstrating a range of her surgical skills, from suturing and knot-tying to anatomy and cyst removal tests.
Organised by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), the overall winner will win a trip to sponsors’ Johnson and Johnson Medical Companies’ European Surgical Training Institute in Hamburg.
Katy said: “The regional heat was enjoyable and a good chance to meet members of the RCSEd. The session allowed me to demonstrate the skills I’d already acquired and also learn something new. I found ‘cyst removal’ the most challenging skill as I’d not had much experience of this before.
“I certainly hope getting this far will help me with my career prospects. Surgery is a competitive field and reaching the final of the competition is a great achievement to add to my portfolio. To be in with a chance of visiting such a prestigious centre as the training institute in Hamburg would be a fantastic experience. It is very encouraging to have such an opportunity as an undergraduate.”
For further information about the Student Surgical Skills Competition, visit: www.rcsed.ac.uk