Surgical Skills Lab

The philosophy of “see one, do one, teach one” guided training of surgical residents for more than 100 years. The adage refers to the medical tradition of residents learning a surgical technique by observing it once before being expected to perform it independently the next time and eventually teach it to a surgeon in training.

However, recent trends such as work-hour restrictions and increased complexity of surgical techniques have made learning basic skills in the OR a less-workable option. In addition, there is increased recognition by both the public and surgical community that allowing novices to do too much may not be beneficial for the patient.

The General Surgery Residency at Washington University School of Medicine was one of the first surgical training programs in the country to introduce a surgical skills lab. The lab starts with “boot camp” for surgical interns, teaching suturing and basic skills at the beginning of the first year, but extends to residents in all years of the training program.

As residents gain more experience, the sessions involve more complex skills such as laparoscopic techniques, angiography and vascular anastomosis. The program also has laparoscopic and endoscopic simulators.

Sessions are taught by general surgery and other faculty members representing a broad spectrum of specialties. Chief residents and the program’s nurse coordinator also teach skills.