Methodist Dallas General Surgery Residency Skill and Simulation Lab
Our skills lab follows a curriculum that allows our residents to practice basic surgical skills repeatedly and with immediate feedback from attending faculty. Our residents gain familiarity with instrument utilization with particular attention to laparoscopic, endoscopic, and robotic equipment in a safe and reproducible environment. This enables our residents to enter the operating room more prepared because of exposure to the instruments and skill sets.
Skills lab is held weekly and is protected time from clinical duties. It takes place in our state-of-the-art Center for Simulation and Wellness (C-SAW). There are laparoscopic trainers, endoscopic trainers, and a robotic console with backpack modules available for training 24 hours a day with badge access.
Through skills lab learning and practice our residents gain multiple certifications necessary for graduation and their future surgical practice.
Certification in fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) will be obtained by the end of PGY 1 year
Certification in fundamentals of endoscopic surgery (FES) will be obtained by the end of PGY 4 year
Completion of fundamentals of endoscopic curriculum (FEC)
Completion of fundamentals of robotic surgery (FRS) with a Robotics Equivalence Certificate that verifies your certification to perform robotic surgery
In addition to the scheduled skills labs, training is supplemented with:
- 1-2 pig labs per year for laparoscopic surgery training
- SimSei laparoscopic basic simulation training
- Off campus robotics procedure-based courses
Robotics “dry labs” with the Mobile robotics unit
Center for Simulation and Wellness (C-SAW)
Next door to Graduate Medical Education is the Center for Simulation and Wellness whose mission is to promote compassionate, quality health care by enhancing knowledge, skills, and behavior processes through the facilitation of interprofessional, simulation-based training. General surgery residents have 24/7 access to its lounge area, computer workstations that include statistical software to support research, and its Surgical Innovation and Technology (SIT) room. The SIT room houses the latest trainers to assist residents in honing their skills in fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery, fundamentals of endoscopic surgery, and minimally invasive (robotic) surgery.
