Canadian ophthalmic microsurgery course: an innovative spin on wet lab-based surgical education

Wet lab and surgical simulation can reduce the learning curve of difficult surgical techniques, accelerate the rate for trainees to achieve surgical competency, and improve patient safety. To provide the most up-to-date information and hands-on experiences with novel ophthalmic surgical techniques and instruments, the Department of Ophthalmology at Western University has created a wet lab-based, multilevel microsurgery skills transfer course through collaboration with various industry partners. Several elements in the course goal and design differentiate this type of surgical course from typical wet labs: the format is multileveled surgical training, with a beginner level targeting undergraduate medical students, an intermediate level for ophthalmology residents, and an advanced level for trained ophthalmologist. In addition, the level of industry participation allows the development of true partnership and offers a method to introduce awareness and innovation in a cost-effective manner. This article presents the organization, course setup, and feedback from the pilot course.