Try Before You Buy: Simulate, Then Operate

Residency training in the field of orthopedic surgery is evolving. Given the ever increasing restrictions on work hours, combined with a demand for efficiency in the operating room, residents across the country may find their surgical skillset less developed than they would like. Basic orthopedic surgical skills, including arthroscopy and fracture fixation, are essential for all practicing orthopedic surgeons. The hand-eye coordination and dexterity skills required to perform safe, effective, and efficient operations are demanding, typically requiring hours of practice outside of the operating room. With continual advances in imaging modalities, surgical instrument design, and minimally invasive surgical techniques, these skills are of utmost importance.

Alternative methods for obtaining these vital skills are necessary. A variety of modalities, including cadaveric training, sawbones, and virtual simulator trainers, have proven effective. Such simulators not only enable residents to further develop these skills in a safe environment, but also improve overall operative ability and confidence critical for producing excellent clinical outcomes as orthopedic surgeons. During residency training, simulators permit junior residents ample opportunity to establish good operative habits early on, thereby improving the quality of operative abilities every year. This type of training will allow junior residents to develop into technically proficient senior residents, which will in turn enable them to teach with competence and confidence.

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