Ready for the Z Generation
So Phase 3 of The Eagle Project was complete on Wednesday night and I found myself in the good company of major donors and Council Members for the official opening. It was a truly fascinating evening which included a lecture by the Director of Education, Michael Larvin, who touched upon how The College prioritised the advanced training of surgeons (since the NHS doesn’t) and was also at pains to keep up with advances not only in technology but understanding how the X, Y and Z generations access and use it, suggesting that the attention span for the Z generation is now a max of 20 minutes!
The highlight of the evening was a tour of the facilities which includes a fully operational theatre, minimally invasive surgery simulation suite and an amazing anatomical dissection room which can accommodate up to 35 students at one time (this was laid out ready for action the next day). The operating theatre is so technically advanced that students can watch video footage of their performances later and all kinds of traumas can be simulated so that their sense of pressure is heightened. There was a mannequin on the table which can develop all manner of problems whilst the students are working on it (he can even speak?!). He certainly looked like he had been through the wars and there were further plans to ill treat him before some army surgeons had to work on him the next day! Live streaming of all these activities can be relayed anywhere in the world. My guests and I derived particular relish in seeing how adept we were at simulated keyhole surgery! And before I forget, the artwork that is now adorning the walls was received to surprising acclaim. It has made me feel even more excited at the prospect of developing things further for the final show in September!
