We are on the brink of transforming surgical education
from a one-size-fits-all training paradigm to a system that
builds on the strengths of the individual surgeon while
helping to address any individual weaknesses.
experts in the field. The University of Miami, FL, Ryder
Trauma Center, along with other partners, established
International Trauma Tele-Grand Rounds, connecting more than 40 participating institutions around the
globe to discuss difficult cases or new management
strategies.37
At the Ryder Trauma Center, telemedicine is routinely used for morning rounds in the trauma intensive
care unit (TICU). A mobile teleconferencing system is
controlled from a conference room where the entire
TICU team is located. The conference room is equipped
with three large screens that simultaneously show the
patient and bedside monitor (via the mobile teleconferencing system) as well as the details of the patient chart.
Aside from minimizing the risk of nosocomial infection by limiting the traffic in the ICU during rounds,
telemedicine improves the quality of education by combining several tools in real time and allowing more
time for teaching.
These innovative strategies have revolutionized
the way both senior and younger surgeons deliver and
receive information; this approach is especially true for
health care professionals who practice in non-academic
centers with limited access to educational resources.
Looking forward
The future holds an incredible opportunity to harness technology for the education and evaluation of
surgeons in an increasingly complex world. Devices,
simulators, and telemedicine allow for increased access
to surgical information, novel surgical applications,
and real-time teaching of surgical techniques. The
innovations described in this article have permeated
surgical instruction to differing degrees; some, such as
smartphones, are widespread, while others, such as 3-D
printing and telemedicine, are more nascent. Nonetheless, these advances are changing the way we think and
teach. We are on the brink of transforming surgical
education from a one-size-fits-all training paradigm
to a system that builds on the strengths of the individual surgeon while helping to address any individual
weaknesses. As new technologies are created, surgical
14. Slade Shantz JA, Veillette CJ. The application of wearable
technology in surgery: Ensuring the positive impact of
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16. Shepherd G, von Delft D, Truck J, Kubiak R, Ashour K,
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17. King N, Kunac A, Johnsen E, Gallina G, Merchant
AM. Design and validation of a cost-effective physical
endoscopic simulator for fundamentals of endoscopic
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18. Ortiz Figueroa F, Moftakhar Y, Dobbins AL IV, et al.
Trauma boot camp: A simulation-based pilot study. Cureus.
January 2016. Available at: assets.cureus.com/uploads/
original_article/pdf/3626/1453314664-20160120-5701-
4ec4r0.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2016.
19. Alaker M, Wynn GR, Arulampalam T. Virtual reality
training in laparoscopic surgery: A systematic review &
meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2016;29:85-94.
20. Valdis M, Chu M W, Schlachta C, Kiaii B. Evaluation of
robotic cardiac surgery simulation training: A randomized
controlled trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2016;151(6):1498-
1505.
21. Aydin A, Shafi AM, Khan MS, Dasgupta P, Ahmed K.
Current status of simulation and training models in
urological surgery: A systematic review. J Urol March 2016
[Epub ahead of print].
22. Konge L, Clementsen PF, Ringsted C, Minddal V, Larsen
KR, Annema JT. Simulator training for endobronchial
ultrasound: A randomised controlled trial. Eur Respir J.
2015;46(4):1140-1149.
23. Konge L, Lonn L. Simulation-based training of surgical
skills. Perspect Med Educ. 2016;5(1):3-4.
24. Gallagher AG, Ritter EM, Champion H, et al. Virtual
reality simulation for the operating room: Proficiency-based training as a paradigm shift in surgical skills
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