Some 37 medical students from across the island of Ireland came to RCSI’s state-of-the-art surgical simulation facilities at 26 York Street in Dublin last week to compete in the annual National Surgical Skills Competition.

The six universities involved in this year’s National Surgical Skills Competition included RCSI, UCD, UCC, UL, Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast. In a closely contested competition, UCD came out on top, with Conor Allan named winner of the National Intercollegiate Surgical Skills Competition 2024.

Alyssa Clark from RCSI successfully secured second place, with third place going to Yasmina Richa from UCC.

The National Intercollegiate Surgical Skills Competition is open to medical students who may be considering a career in surgery, assessing their laparoscopic and suturing skills. 

Professor Kevin Barry, Director of National Surgical Training Programmes, RCSI said: “The National Intercollegiate Surgical Skills Competition is a really useful way of promoting a career in surgery. It provides students with the opportunity to practise and to develop a variety of basic skills including laparoscopic tasks. We have seen a progressive increase in the number of applicants to our Core Surgical Training programme in recent years. 

“This is a very welcome trend. All applicants undergo a preliminary assessment of psychomotor skills using a series of online aptitude tests. The students who participate in this competition are to be commended for their enthusiasm and forward thinking. As the Director of National Surgical Training Programmes at RCSI, I welcome this particular opportunity to promote a career in surgery.”

Yasmina Richa, current UCC medical student who finished second in the National Surgical Skills Competition 2024, said: “The National Intercollegiate Surgical Skills Competition provided an invaluable opportunity for aspiring surgeons to not only showcase their abilities but also to connect and learn from peers across Ireland. It was an honour to compete among such talented individuals.”

Neil Wu, Captain of the UCD surgical skills first-place team, said: “The National Surgical Skills Competition provides a stage for aspiring surgeons to demonstrate their proficiency and to compete for excellence amongst talented trainees.”