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Wolfson Unit Courses & Workshops
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The Basic Therapeutic Endoscopy Course (BTEC) April 29th-May 1st 2008. The new BTEC is an updated course combined with a research study to improve training in therapeutic endoscopy. Therapeutic techniques that will be taught are control of upper GI haemorrhage, polypectomy and EMR, oesophageal dilatation and PEG insertion.
The Bowel Cancer Screening Colonoscopy Workshop, May 9th, 2008. This one day course is aimed at endoscopists, nurses, managers and administrative staff. We will give you an overview of how to set up and run a successful bowel cancer screening centre and update you on the screening programme. Endoscopists will learn how to perform safe, complete, and comfortable colonoscopy avoiding complications at polypectomy.
Train the Colonoscopy Trainers Course, July 22nd-23rd, 2008. The course equips experienced endoscopists with the skills to train their trainees in their own unit, utilising current models of adult education in a practical setting.
Introduction to Bowel Cancer Prevention
The importance of bowel cancer cannot be underestimated. It is the second most common cause of cancer in the UK, with 1 in 20 people developing colon cancer if not screened in middle-age. This amounts to 19,000 deaths a year, and when one considers 3,500 people die in traffic accidents each year, the disease is clearly a major cause for concern.
Colorectal cancer can be prevented via colonoscopy, a tried and tested method to find and remove polyps, both pre-cancerous and malignant. It is a mostly painless procedure with highly effective results. Colonoscopy is the definitive way of finding and removing precancerous polyps anywhere in the colon, but it's a challenging technique to master.
The Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy
The Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy at St. Mark's Hospital was established in 1996 as a national centre for flexible endoscopy. It is designed to combine a stylish and caring environment with modern high-technology facilities for outpatients and inpatients, whether NHS or private. The Endoscopy Unit has long been known for:
We lead the world in colonoscopy skills and training methods, educating up to 500 doctors and nurses a year in life-saving skills and 'tricks of the trade'.
The Leigh Academic Centre at St. Mark's
We are proud of our Leigh Academic Centre, a state of the art clinical and teaching facility which is host to our colonoscopy teaching and research team, which consists of over 15 doctors, research nurses and technologists, all dedicated to advancing colonoscopy techniques and improving training methods. Leading 'how to' colonoscopy textbooks, numerous video productions and multimedia interactive training materials, as well as other new performance-enhancing technologies and endoscope design improvements all originate from St. Mark's - benefitting doctors and their patients worldwide. We were also one of the first centres to open for the national bowel cancer screening programme.
All of this pioneering has meant painless and immediate results for patients. Even large pre-cancerous polyps can be removed on an easy walk-in/walk-out basis using new methods of endoscopic therapy. By developing these methods, full surgery is being avoided. Best of all, more lives are being saved.