More than 40 medical students from across the island of Ireland gathered at RCSI’s state-of-the-art surgical simulation facilities at 26 York Street, Dublin to compete in the annual National Intercollegiate Surgical Skills Competition 2025.

This year’s competition brought together participants from six universities – RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), the University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast – in a closely contested showcase of surgical skills.

In the individual category, Rahi Shah from RCSI was named overall winner. Nina Carlos de Clercq from UCC finished in second place, while Karissa Sonoo from RCSI claimed third. Meanwhile, UCD took home the team award, demonstrating exceptional collective performance, with Doris Braunstein leading the winning team.

The competition is open to medical students considering a career in surgery, providing them with an opportunity to test and refine their laparoscopic and suturing skills.

“The National Intercollegiate surgical skills competition provides a great platform for aspiring surgeons to practice their early technical skills in a friendly and supportive environment. I am very pleased to note that this competition continues to grow in popularity, parallel with a substantial increase in the number of applications for core surgical training over the past five years,” said Professor Kevin Barry, Director of National Surgical Training Programmes.

“Acquisition of technical and non-technical skills is embedded in our national surgical training programmes. We value our ongoing interactions with medical students from all universities on the island of Ireland.”

Mohammad Alabdulrahman, Chairperson of the RCSI Surgical Society, RCSI commented: “The Intercollegiate Skills Competition was a fantastic opportunity to witness passionate medical students from across Ireland and Northern Ireland showcase their talents in a friendly yet competitive environment. The vibrant atmosphere made the event both engaging and inspiring, and it’s clear that the Department of Surgical Affairs continues to refine and enhance the experience each year.”

Doris Braunstein, Third Year GEM student who led the winning UCD team, added: “The National Surgical Skills competition provides medical students interested in surgery an opportunity to develop our skills of working in a team and that’s what made the day very special. This is a great opportunity for future surgeons to cultivate a broad range of skills relevant to the field.”