Basic surgical skills are fundamental to the practice of safe surgery. The surgical assistant is an extremely important member of the operating team who needs to be familiar with the basic procedures in open and laparoscopic surgery as well as the dynamics of the theatre environment.

Target Audience:

Perioperative Practitioners: targeting SFAs, trainee SCPs and SCPs in early part of their role.

Learning Style:

This is a practical course with a high tutor to delegate ratio. It is delivered as a series of hands on sessions where delegates work on animal tissue with tuition and supervision being provided by experts from both the surgical and nursing profession.

Aims & Objectives:

This one-day course aims to address the specific requirements of a surgical assistant who is assisting the operating surgeon. The areas covered are reproducible and applicable to all surgical specialities.

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the course delegates will be able to: • Demonstrate safe practice in preparing the patient for theatre including positioning and preparation irrespective of the procedure. • Describe the variety of knot tying procedures, suturing techniques and LA administration. • Explain the principles and risks of using different forms of diathermy and develop camera manipulation skills to assist in laparoscopic surgery.