Broad-based fellowships: a cornerstone of minimally invasive surgery education and dissemination

Aware of the trends in surgery and of public demand, many residents completing a 5-year training program seek fellowships in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) because of inadequate exposure to advanced MIS during their residency. A survey was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a broad-based fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery offered in an academic health science center. The questionnaire was mailed to all graduates. Data on demographics, comfort level with specific laparoscopic procedures, and opinions regarding the best methods of acquiring these skills were collected. Most of the surgeons entered the fellowship directly after residency. The majority of these surgeons are academic surgeons. Fellows performed a median of 187 cases by the end of their training and felt comfortable operating on foregut, hindgut, and end organ. A full year of training was found to be the best format for appropriate skill transfer. A broad-based MIS fellowship meets the needs of both academic and community surgeons desiring to perform advanced laparoscopic procedures.