Orsi Surgical Skills E-learning Trial

In the researchers' words

The training of robotic surgical procedural skills has been challenged by changes in work practices and safety concerns specifically related to training. In surgery and procedural medicine simulation-based training has been demonstrated to supplant the early part of the learning curve. Training in the skills laboratory is however expensive because of equipment and supervision burdens. In this study the investigators will assess the economic impact of proficiency-based progression (PBP) e-learning training prior to training in the skills laboratory. 48 trainees will be randomly assigned to one of four groups. 1) will receive an apprenticeship type training (Group 1 ; n=12), 2) A standard or traditional trained group (Group 2; n=12) will then receive face-to-face lectures on how to perform the robotic surgical training task (i.e., ORSI chicken anastomosis task for learning robotic suturing and knot tying.) 3) The third group (Group 3; n=12) will have e-learning training prior to training in the skills laboratory and then learn the same task. 4) The fourth group (Group 4; n=12) will have the exact same pre-course e-learning curriculum as Group 3 but will be required to study it until they score at the quantitatively defined proficiency benchmark of experienced robotic surgeons, i.e., the mean performance level of experienced robotic surgeons - they can complete the task with \<10…