Dear EHS member.
Education is at the core of the EHS. This last year, the EHS has invested heavily in creating an educational pathway for aspiring abdominal wall surgeons. Our vision is clear: to provide the best educational program for abdominal wall surgery in the world. Now, in 2024, we have constructed an educational pathway spanning from a Basic course, through an Intermediate course, an advanced open, an advanced minimal invasive and a robotic course. These courses will help surgeons to generate Category D points to be able to apply for the UEMS exam and acquire the title of Abdominal wall surgeon. A new course in 2024 will be the Non-Operative Technical skills for surgeons (NOTSS) course arranged in collaboration with the Royal college of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This course emphasizes the wish of the EHS to promote safety and teamwork in the care of hernia patients. Good patient outcomes are just as much about good communication, team working and preparation as surgical knowhow and prowess.
To fulfill our vision, the educational wing constantly innovates and tests new features. Over the last year we have experimented with standardization, pre- and post-course material and tests, log-book requirements, team based collaborative challenges, mentor-feedback, AI assisted documentation of performance, adaptive testing of knowledge and much more. All our courses aim to provide state of the art training, but also praise human relations and having fun. At every course, we arrange a course dinner where participants can connect with their peers from other countries. The fun and relaxed atmosphere of these dinners is one of the highlights for us who organize these courses. We hope many of these encounters develop into friendships and future collaborations.
The EHS endeavor in education could not be realized without the collaboration with our industry partners and secretariat. We collaborate with both the largest companies, but also start-up companies who need surgeons’ feedback on new innovations. This collaboration ensures that participants can test several different products, learn about their areas of use, and get a glimpse of the future devices and materials that are coming.
If you are at the start of your abdominal wall surgery career or just need to perfect your skills, we warmly welcome you to join one of our courses. They are frequently announced on the EHS website, EHS newsletters and through our social media channels. With the words of one of my great mentors, Chris Oppong, I wish you a fantastic new year: “True confidence comes only from deliberate, humble and resilient practice.”
Your sincerely
Knut Borch
Secretary for Education, EHS board.
