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    From the lecture theatre to the operating theatre | Mr Vittal Rao

    Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn3iokBqMwI

    Vittal Rao has taught medical students at Keele University since his appointment as a consultant surgeon in 2013. He became Surgical Lead for the Medical School in 2023 and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in 2024. In this role, Vittal leads and delivers teaching for students in years three to five, combining bedside teaching with theatre-based learning and seminars. Alongside his academic work, Vittal is a consultant upper gastrointestinal (GI) and bariatric surgeon at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), where he has worked for 12 years, specialising in complex laparoscopic procedures. A regional surgical advisor to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, he is also a national faculty member, examiner, and a widely published researcher.

    I’m Vittal Rao. I’m an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer and the Surgical Lead at Keele University. I’m also a Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon at the University Hospital North Midlands.

    As a doctor, I’ve always believed that we are students for life. Training future medical students should include our own experiences in the workplace, where unpredictability and variability are part of daily practice. We should take these experiences and share them with our students so they are better equipped to become the future workforce of the NHS.

    This year marks 30 years since my graduation from medical school. Looking back, I would estimate that I’ve performed around 6,000 operations so far. In any walk of life, and especially in surgery, change is the only constant. When I started, there was no laparoscopic surgery and no robotic surgery. To stay ahead, you have to keep up to date with all these advances. In that respect, the University Hospital North Midlands is at the forefront in terms of facilities, training, and the clinical workplace. Keele University is also hugely supportive of our efforts.

    For example, we have an excellent simulation training centre that is constantly evolving and exploring new ways of teaching and delivering training. I feel very fortunate to be in this position, with strong clinical support from the University Hospital North Midlands and academic support from Keele University.

    Every day, the knowledge that I can go to work, help someone recover, and relieve their suffering is what drives me most. For me, that is the most important reason to be both a surgeon and a doctor.