TASSL Robotic Surgery Training Collaborative
The TASSL Robotic Surgery Training Collaborative presents an opportunity for one chief resident from each participating institution to become trained and certified prior to graduation. This will allow the resident to become credentialled at many hospitals for robotic surgery. The training program is open to one chief per institution and the chief must be going into private practice upon graduation.
The training path includes:
- Completion of the Pre-Training Questionnaire.
- Completion of the Intuitive Surgical online training modules.
- Completion of the simulation exercises located below. Log simulator practice data using this form.
- Log 5 robotics cases as first assistant using this form.
- Completion of the Intuitive Surgical Basic Robotic Surgery Training Session to be held in Houston on Feb 1-2, 2016. The online modules, simuation training, and 5 first assistant cases must be completed prior to this session.
- Group 1: Residents from UT-Houston, UTMB, UTHSCSA, Texas Tech Lubbock
- Group 2: Residents from UTSW, Methodist Dallas, Baylor Scott & White Texas A&M, Texas Tech El Paso
- Completion of the Intuitive Surgical Advanced Robotic Surgery Training Session to be held in Houston on Feb 3, 2016. This session is for residents and faculty.
- Log 10 robotics cases as console surgeon to be assessed with Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS)
- Completion of the Post-Training Questionnaire.
Robotic Surgery Curriculum
The Methodist Hospital – Houston (MITIE) group has provided
a proficiency-based training curriculum for robotic surgery skills that can be
completed using the Intuitive Surgical Da Vinci Skills Simulator (DVSS). The
original publication of this work can be found in Surgical Endoscopy:
Lyons C, Goldfarb D, Jones SL, Badhiwala N, Miles B, Link R, Dunkin BJ. Which skills really matter?
Proving face, content, and construct validity for a commercial robotic simulator. Surg Endosc. 2013;27:2020-2030.
Development
The MITIE group originally identified 8 essential skills of robotic surgery. One of the skills did not demonstrate construct validity and been removed from the list. The remaining 7 essential skills are:
- Pick and Place
- Two-Handed Transfer
- Wrist Manipulation
- Camera Control
- Clutching
- Third/Fourth Arm Control
- Suturing
Proficiency and Scoring
The MITIE group selected 7 exercises on the DVSS designed to focus on training the identified essential skills. Expert-derived proficiency benchmarks for each exercise are located in the table below. Mastery is achieved when the trainee achieves the proficiency benchmarks on 2 consecutive trials.
| Task | Overall Score | Time to Complete Exercise (sec) | Economy of Motion (cm) | Instrument Collisions | Master Workspace Range (cm) | Critical Error | Instruments out of View | Excessive Force Applied (sec) | Missed Targets | Drops |
| Peg Board 1 | 81 | 80 | 180 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Peg Board 2 | 89 | 113 | 278 | 0 | 11.1 | 0 | ||||
| Match Board 3 | 43 | 349 | 676 | 15.3 | 3 | 102 | 0 | |||
| Ring and Rail 2 | 63 | 223 | 415 | 4 | 10.7 | 1 | 5 | 8.5 | ||
| Ring Walk 3 | 56 | 162 | 310 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Suture Sponge 3 | 59 | 326 | 443 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| Tubes | 63 | 244 | 5 | 8.8 | 1 | 9 |
Training Logs and Assessment Tools
- Instructions for Accessing the Online Training Modules
- Case Logs: Bedside Assistant and Console Surgeon
- Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS)
- Pre-Training Questionnaire
- Post-Training Questionnaire