Role of simulators in surgical education

Technical progress in surgical training and ethical issues are expected to replace traditional methods of resident learning surgery by apprenticeship in the operating room in a stressful atmosphere. With the development of Minimal Access Surgery (MAS) the surgical approach has changed totally, and curriculum-based, hand-on training is gaining importance in learning these new skills. Economic factors and ethical issues of learning basic skills on patients and animal models are driving progressive replacement with clinically closer simulators. There is scope for medical colleges and simulator manufactures to work together to develop scientific simulators and discourage the use of animals for the acquisition of basic skills in surgery. This process can be accelerated only by incorporating simulator-based training modules in the curriculum of medical education. This change in curriculum can motivate the medical community to look for alternatives to animal use by accepting the 3R principles.