Simulators Guide 21st-Century Robotic Surgery Training

The rise of robotic surgery has engendered a push for revamped training techniques

The Florida Hospital Nicholson Center is at the forefront of this movement. With the surgeon’s head in the robotic console and the rest of the team around the operating table across the room, intra-team communication and coordination changes considerably. The traditional “see one, do one, train one” approach no longer suffices. Instead, simulation models first used by the military are proving useful for standardized, cost-effective teaching. Using graphics reminiscent of video games, students practice ever more difficult surgical tasks like knot tying, dissection and suturing.