1. SURGICAL SKILLS FOR UNDERGRADUATES Department of Surgery

2. The Department of Surgery has this year (2014) started a hands-on basic Surgical Skills course for undergraduate students. The need for this programme arose through student requests for them to be better equipped to cope with the surgical demand once they qualify and are posted out.

3. The annual advanced Surgical Skills course for post-graduate students has been ongoing for several years and a decision was made to increase surgical skill competencies among the undergraduate trainees through a three day basic course (individual students however attend for a single day).

4. The course is being held at the Nairobi Surgical Skills Centre (NSSC) situated in Chiromo campus and was inaugurated on 8th Sept 2014 and will end on 26th Sept 2014. Students were taught gowning/gloving procedures as well as suturing and knotting techniques.

5. Facilitators are faculty members of the Department of Surgery and materials used have been provided by the university and the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK).