A surgical case presentation masterclass was organized by the PTE Surgical Society on March 26, in cooperation with the PTE Clinical Centre Department of Surgery, the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication, the MediSkills Lab, the Circle of Demonstrators (DDK), and the Junior Alumni Program. The aim of the program was to improve students’ abstract writing skills. The participants gained valuable knowledge, and will be able to apply it not only in surgical case presentations but also in research, thesis writing, and throughout their general medical practice.
Building on the experiences of the "DEEPdive" workshop held in the previous semester, which provided students with practical help, this course focused more on academic aspects, with a special focus on writing conference abstracts, while also supporting students in preparing clinical case reports and conducting research.
The program was led by Thea Aleksandra Aaseth Thoresen, Director of Education and Training of the PTE Surgical Society. The lectures were delivered by Dr. Caleb Ibitamuno, President of the PTE Surgical Society, and Dr. Hild Gabriella, Associate Professor at the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication. Alongside Thea Aleksandra Aaseth Thoresen, the main organizers were Rita Varga, Administrative Director of the PTE Surgical Society, and Joori Park, Social Media Manager of the PTE Surgical Society. Students welcomed the initiative, as they had previously indicated that they found abstract writing challenging. During the interactive workshop, they could get practice and gain confidence in composing abstracts.
Following the welcome speech by Thea Aleksandra Aaseth Thoresen, the first block of the workshop was led by Dr. Caleb Ibitamuno, whose central theme was the clinical presentation of surgical cases. He also discussed how this could be applied in other clinical fields. He presented key aspects to consider when analyzing clinical cases. Students learned how to select essential information and present it professionally. This session highlighted that mastering this skill is essential forestablishing the most accurate diagnosis and developing optimal treatment plans.
The second block focused on academic abstract writing. Dr. Gabriella Hild first used a Kahoot game to find out what the students already knew about the topic and to break the ice. After that, the students analyzed poorly written abstracts in teams, then discussed through practical tasks how these couldbe transformed into strong and well-structured ones.
Interest in the workshop was enormous; however, due to its interactive nature and group tasks, the number of participants had to be capped at twenty-five. Students gave a lot of positive feedback: they highlighted the value of the learning experience, expressed their enthusiasm, and also their willingness to gladly participate in further similarly interactive workshops.
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Joori Park, Mediskills Lab