Oxford surgeons in training prove they’re cut out for a skilful future

Two Oxford surgeons in training have clinched the winning title in a national surgical skills competition with 14 teams from across the UK.

Second-year core surgical trainees, Andrew Ang, who is based at The Royal Berkshire Hospital and Ada Krzak, based at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, won the prestigious Louis Solomon Knights Award for Surgical Skills at the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s national surgical skills competition.

Speaking at the event Ada Krzak said, “Both Andrew and I thoroughly enjoyed the competition. We met old friends and made new ones - we didn’t expect to win, but we proved to ourselves how well we could work under the scrutiny of a packed room. It was a great way to test our skills and get feedback from consultant judges”.

The duo beat the team from Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Stuart James and Alex Arbis, who were close runners having missed the top position by one point.

The national final, held at RCS England's headquarters in London (20 April), put the finalists through a series of challenging tasks, including skin and wound management, laparoscopic procedures, non-technical skills and anatomy. The competition is designed to put core trainees who are members or affiliate members of RCS England through their paces in a friendly and collegiate environment. Participants are assessed on their knowledge and application of surgical principles as well as their surgical skills.

The "Are You Cut Out for It?" national competition is sponsored by Limbs & Things and The Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table and is now in its 12th year. It was established by RCS England members Kathryn Ford and Lilli Cooper and has grown from a small number of regions to include teams from the schools of surgery from across the UK.

After competing in two rounds, the two pairs with the highest scores went head-to-head in the final round. The contest was observed by volunteer consultant judges.

Among the judges was RCS England Vice President, Professor Vivien Lees, she said: “The competition creates an atmosphere of learning and support for trainees and fosters a fun environment for them to test their skills. The talent shown was exceptional, and it is a testament to the abilities of our surgical trainees. Congratulations to the winners Andrew Ang and Ada Krzak”.

Notes to editors

The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.

For more information, please contact the Press Office:

• Telephone: 020 7869 6047/6052
• Email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk
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