Simulation in surgical education: mentors' point of view

Simulation allows surgical trainees to practice in a safe and standardized setting. Reduction of working hours, financial need of efficiency, and ethical dilemmas over patient's safety have motivated the development of surgical simulation. Currently, a wide variety of surgical simulators are available with a broad range from simple and economic models to highly sophisticated and expensive ones. Some of them are used to train basic surgical skills, and others offer realism and opportunities to train entire surgical procedures. Acquisition of surgical skills and improvement of intraoperative performance are main advantages associated with simulation. High-fidelity simulated operating rooms also allow for training teamwork technical and non-technical skills such as response to intraoperative crisis scenarios or communication skills among team members. In addition, simulation is very useful for practicing surgeons who want to embrace new technologies in their practice. On the other hand, costs, limited manpower resources, and lack of standardized simulation curricula are significant challenges of surgical simulation. While in some countries surgical simulation is already well-established, in others simulation is not yet formally included in the training curricula. As simulation is a key component of surgical education, further efforts are needed to formally incorporate simulation in every surgical residency program.