Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)-Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students.
Dana Hutton, Mohammed Ashraf, Daniel Sescu, Hassan Ismahel, Katie Hepburn, Emma Lumsden, Poppy Wright, Carmen Chai, Michael Helley, Nathan McSorley, Belal Mohamed, Mohammed Abdulrahman, Beverley Page, Roslyn Porter, Peter Bodkin, Mohamed Okasha
Author Information
Dana Hutton: The Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. ORCID
Mohammed Ashraf: Glasgow Neuro Society, Wolfson School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. ORCID
Daniel Sescu: School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
Hassan Ismahel: Glasgow Neuro Society, Wolfson School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. ORCID
Katie Hepburn: School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Emma Lumsden: School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Poppy Wright: School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Carmen Chai: School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Michael Helley: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom. ORCID
Nathan McSorley: Glasgow Neuro Society, Wolfson School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Belal Mohamed: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Mohammed Abdulrahman: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Beverley Page: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Roslyn Porter: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Peter Bodkin: Department of Neurosurgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Mohamed Okasha: Department of Neurosurgery, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Neurosurgery can be a daunting career choice for medical students, with preparation for trainee application often being inaccessible and expensive. This article describes a student-led neurosurgical skills event supported by local neurosurgery faculty members. Such event was designed to offer a means to bridge this gap by providing an opportunity to practice neurosurgical techniques in simulation, and learn about what a career in neurosurgery involves. Pre- and postskills laboratory surveys were used to ascertain the baseline confidence and knowledge of common neurosurgical techniques, as well as to what both the application to neurosurgery and the typical workload of a neurosurgeon involves. The conference offered six neurosurgical workshops as well as three lectures to provide practical and theoretical learning opportunities. The session included introduction to the candidates and faculty, identification of learning objectives, and career discussion. Postcourse feedback also was also used to assess learning outcomes. Eighteen students attended the event. Postskills event, students were significantly more likely to understand the principles behind all of the relevant neurosurgical skills included on the day. Additionally, students were more likely to understand what a career in neurosurgery involves, and how to approach applying for a training number. Respondents enjoyed the workshops, valued hands-on experience and interactions with consultants, found it affordable, and would recommend to their peers. For medical students interested in a career in neurosurgery, opportunities to learn relevant techniques and skills are often expensive and difficult to come across. Here, we highlight affordable methods of simulation to result in significant student satisfaction. Additionally, providing ample opportunity to practice different neurosurgical techniques under almost 1:1 level tutoring enables significant increases in students' confidence and understanding of different neurosurgical concepts. We greatly encourage other medical student groups to develop their own hands-on simulation events to attract medical students to a surgical field often considered daunting and inaccessible, and address gaps in the medical school curriculum.
