Facing the challenge

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W e look back at the dental and surgical skills competitions’ Grand Finals, where students from universities across the UK put their skills to the test.

RCSEd and Medtronic Student Surgical Skills Competition 

The Grand Final was held once again at the College on 16 March. We welcomed 40 students, each representing a different UK medical school, to take part and try their hands at several different skills.

The competition, which has been run by the College in partnership with Medtronic for a number of years, kicked off in September with more than 1,300 students registering to take part. The competition comprised three stages, with the first round consisting of an online quiz. The five highest-scoring students from each heat then progressed to round two, where they received a skills box in the post and were tasked with videoing themselves completing three tasks using instruments from the box on bananas. The skills boxes were developed in partnership with the artificial body part manufacturer OrganLike and included needle holders, sutures and a mini tripod.

After the Regional Surgical Ambassadors and senior Fellows of the College marked the videos, the top-scoring students from each medical school received the news they had been selected to travel to Edinburgh to take part in the Grand Final.

The event started with a dinner at the College’s Ten Hill Place Hotel on 15 March, where the students had the opportunity to socialise with one another before the big day.

RCSEd President Professor Rowan Parks and Vice-President Professor Tim Graham welcomed the students to the Quincentenary Building, and competition convenor and RCSEd Council Member Professor Angus Watson briefed the students before they started the competition.

The finalists rotated around 10 stations in pairs, where they were tested on skills including suturing, anatomy and laparoscopy. Professor Watson added a new station inspired by his recent trip to Gaza: students were tasked with applying a combat tourniquet to an amputation model supplied by Trauma Simulation Ltd. Faculty members were made up of Regional Surgical Ambassadors, RCSEd Council members and a member of the Scottish Foundation Trainee Surgical Society.

Students and Faculty gathered in the RCSEd Fellows Library for the announcement of the winners: Tom Adamson from the University of Newcastle was the 2024 winner. This is the second year running a student from this university has won.

Eric Dos Santos De Andrade from the University of Liverpool was second, while Natalia Mojica from the University of Birmingham came third. The University of Birmingham won best overall medical school with the highest overall score in heat two.

Adamson says winning the competition was an honour. “The event was extraordinary, with an electric atmosphere. It was an enjoyable day filled with learning opportunities from highly respected surgeons who were available to guide us through the challenges. I urge anyone thinking about participating in next year’s competition to take the leap and do it,” he says.

Professor Watson says this was another thrilling final and the response from students across the UK last year was heartwarming.

“No doubt there were future dental leaders among the finalists”

He adds: “This past year, our primary aim was to widen the competition’s horizon to welcome all medical students, fostering a keen interest in the surgical field. Our goal was to highlight the critical role of basic surgical skills, not just for those on a surgical path but for a broad spectrum of medical careers.

“The enthusiasm and calibre of entries we received was inspiring. It’s my hope that we’ve encouraged students to contemplate surgery as a viable and rewarding career option. Considering the exceptional quality of submissions, our winners have every reason to be proud of what they’ve achieved. I extend a thank you to everyone who participated.”

Thanks to Medtronic for sponsoring the competition and College outreach staff for all their support, and congratulations to all of our finalists.

RCSEd Clinical Dental Skills Competition

A prestigious event in its field, this marked its ninth year and it promised to be particularly exciting as 16 exceptional finalists, meticulously selected from esteemed dental institutions spanning the breadth of the UK and Ireland, travelled to the College campus for the final.

The finalists engaged in a riveting display of nine dental challenges, each aiming to clinch one of the coveted top three positions.

The RCSEd is pleased to announce that Vicki Rees from the University of Liverpool was the winner of the national event. She says: “Participating in the RCSEd dental skills competition was an amazing experience. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test my skills in a new and exciting environment.

“The laparoscope and implant stations were particularly enjoyable, as I had never used this type of equipment before. The Faculty’s support throughout the competition was exceptional and the relaxed atmosphere allowed for friendly conversations, making the experience feel less like a competition.

“It was great fun getting to know the other dental students and learn about their dental school journeys. The dedication to making the day unforgettable was evident and it was a pleasure to participate. Without hesitation, I would recommend anyone considering taking part next year to seize this incredible opportunity.”

She won a £500 Amazon voucher and a digital SLR camera designed for intraoral photography, generously provided by Tom Bereznicki.

Cara Marcuccilli of the University of Dundee came a close second, with Daniel Bui of the University of Birmingham in third place. They both won Amazon vouchers of £300 and £200 respectively.

Professor Grant McIntyre, Dean of the Dental Faculty, says it was a pleasure to welcome 16 dental schools to the RCSEd for the Dental Clinical Skills Competition Grand Final.

“As we celebrate our 10th year of running this event, it has been incredible to see the growing interest from dental schools across the UK and Ireland. Having our Dental Faculty and Dental Council with us was fantastic, and being able to recognise and reward the talents of the next generation of dental surgeons was very rewarding,” he says.

Meanwhile, the competition Convenor, Professor Brian Nattress, says it was a privilege to be Convenor for the 10th anniversary of the competition and watch talented students compete against each other. 

“Once again, there was an atmosphere of friendly excitement as students took on the clinical challenges guided by members of Faculty. No doubt there were future dental leaders among the finalists, and we hope for many this marks the beginning of a long association with the RCSEd and its supportive Fellows and Members,” he says.

We would like to say a massive thank you to all the College staff and Dental Faculty who kindly provided their time and effort to make the day such a success.