New Opportunities for Surgeons to Earn CME credits with More Hands-On Robotic Surgery Simulation Training Courses Scheduled in 2013

Dr. Chandru Sundaram, Robotic Surgery

Dr. Sundaram, Chair of the Laparoscopy, Robotic and New Surgical Technology Committee of the AUA, led a hands-on surgery simulation course at AUA, which focused on a  Robotic Partial Nephrectomy

The success of the hands-on robotic surgery simulation courses offered at this year’s AUA event in San Diego is generating buzz among surgeons and anticipation for the next round of training courses to be offered at popular industry meetings.

“The hands on courses in robotic surgery at the annual meeting of the AUA in San Diego, were very successful,”  said Dr. Chandru Sundaram, Professor and Program Director in the Department of Urology at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Chair of the Laparoscopy, Robotic and New Surgical Technology Committee of the AUA. Dr. Sundaram helped organize all the hands-on robotic surgery courses at the AUA in 2013 along with the Dr. Elspeth McDougall, director of the AUA’s office of education. Dr. Sundaram also  led a hands-on surgery simulation course at AUA, which focused on a Robotic Partial Nephrectomy.

“The presence of experienced faculty and three different forms of simulation in one course was unique and offered training that could be individualized to each trainee’s specific requirements,” Sundaram explained.  “Being able to try out the different forms of robotic simulation also allowed participants to decide what would be most appropriate for them at their home institution. The ability to experience these different training modalities without any biased promotion of any specific device was another plus for the hands-on course.”

Dr. Robert Sweet, Urology Professor and Director of Medical School Simulation Programs at University of Minnesota, provided an overview of robotic surgery skills and simulators during one of the courses at AUA.

Dr. Sweet

“Hospitals that want to start a robotic program should make training to competency mandatory to ensure their surgeons and staff are familiar with the technology prior to operating on patients,” said Dr. Sweet.

“The importance of simulation based training for the introduction of new transformative technology such as the da Vinci robot can not be understated,” said Sweet.  “Hospitals that want to start a robotic program should make training to competency mandatory to ensure their surgeons and staff are familiar with the technology prior to operating on patients.  The dV-Trainer offers a robust solution to this problem that many societies and hospitals have successfully integrated into their programs.”

Mimic Technologies, the creator of the dV-Trainer, plans to hold future robotic simulation training courses at the following upcoming annual meetings this year: Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, Clinical Robotics Surgery Association, and Society of Robotic Surgeons.

In addition, Mimic has also teamed with Florida Hospital Nicholson Center to create MimicMed, a revolutionary global training and education institute located at Florida Hospital. The Robotic Surgery Simulation Courses provide 7.75 CMEs for surgeons who attend.

The training center houses eleven of Mimic’s advanced dV-Trainers utilized for half- and full day simulation courses, and Mimic’s innovative dry-labs help learners transition from simulated environments to actual hands-on practice on the robot. Courses happen monthly with the next scheduled simulation course on June 3, 2013. See the Course Calendar for a list of dates and registration info: http://www.mimicsimulation.com/training/course-calendar/

“As part of our strategic alliance partnership with Florida Hospital, we will continue to jointly develop simulation-based curricula that will accelerate the adoption of the latest robotic technologies, techniques, and surgical skill expertise,” said Todd Larson Director of Mimic Medical Education & Development. “I feel the use of virtual reality simulation as part of a ‘hands on’ training program demonstrates that simulation is now being accepted as an alternative means of conducting training and objectively evaluating the surgeon’s performance. Being involved in courses sponsored by AUA along with the experienced faculty, also shows that faculty consider simulation to be a very valuable tool in conducting training.”

Surgery Simulation Course

The simulation training center at Florida Hospital houses eleven of Mimic’s advanced dV-Trainers utilized for half- and full day simulation courses.

For more details on the next hands-on training events happening at the upcoming Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, Clinical Robotics Surgery Association, and Society of Robotic Surgeons events– be sure to “Like” the Mimic Facebook page.