Robotic Surgery Curriculum During Residency and Utilization of Robotic Surgery in Practice

BackgroundAs robotic surgery has grown in prevalence, robotic residency curricula have evolved. University of North Dakota (UND) instituted a formal curriculum in robotics in 2018. We sought to investigate trends in robotic exposure for residents and subsequent use of robotic surgical systems in practice.MethodsA survey of recent graduates was conducted regarding robotic experience during residency, training or certification outside of residency, current use of robotics in practice, and practice type and setting. Graduate years 2014-2018 and years 2019-2023 were pooled into "pre-curriculum" and "post-curriculum" groups respectively. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare quantitative data, and categorical data was analyzed using Fisher's exact test.ResultsWe observed a significant increase in robotic cases completed during residency (0 vs 25, p=0.004), an increase in the number of residents who received training in robotic surgery during residency (38% vs 100%, p=0.009), and a significant decrease in number of days missed from practice to obtain robotic surgery training or certification (3.5 vs 0, p=0.02). There was no significant association between training during residency and use of robotic surgery system in practice, or between rural practice setting and use of robotic surgery system in practice.DiscussionAmong UND graduates, robotic exposure during training is likely not the determining factor leading surgeons to incorporate this technology into their practices. Our findings echo national data showing increasing use of robotics in general surgery. Robotic surgery has a significant and growing presence in rural general surgery.