Basic Surgical Skills

As a surgeon, knowing your basics is essential. Whether this is laying the perfect knot or setting up the laparoscopic set, a sound knowledge of the surgical basics will stand you in good stead throughout your career.

In this section, we will look at the Theatre Basics, including theatre etiquette, hand washing, and how to scrub appropriately. Important topics such as how to write an operation note and details on specific suture types are also included here.

We cover the necessary surgical skills for starting out as a surgeon. This includes incision and drainage of an abscess, suturing and knot tying, excising a skin lesion, and use of local anaesthetic. Many of these articles are also accompanied by relevant videos to help explain these important topics.

There are also topics covering basic science topics regarding wound healing, including acute and chronic inflammation, before teaching important clinical skills, including venepuncture, cannulation, and catheterisation.