Operative skills in neurosurgery

Abstract

The operative skills in neurosurgery course is run at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is convened by Ian Sabin, consultant neurosurgeon at the Royal London Hospital and tutor in neurosurgery at the college’s Raven Department of Education. It has been established for a decade and was previously known as essential or core skills in neurosurgery. The aim of the course is to introduce basic operative neurosurgical techniques required by trainees entering neurosurgery. The course is designed primarily for specialty trainees in years 1-3 and with membership of the Royal College of Surgeons who wish to gain thorough hands-on exposure to common cranial and spinal procedures in a mentored environment. A mixture of specialty trainees from years 1 to 4 attended, including some from overseas. Although I had already had an opportunity to use powered drills and perform many of the procedures taught, I did the course to gain exposure to operative anatomy and neurosurgical techniques in a relaxed and mentored environment free from the time constraints …