Beyond watching: Harnessing laparoscopy to increase medical students' engagement with robotic procedures.

As use of robotic surgery continues to grow, 1 Sheetz K.H. Claflin J. Dimick J.B. Trends in the adoption of robotic surgery for common surgical procedures. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3e1918911https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.18911 Crossref Scopus (261) Google Scholar educators are interested in promoting medical student exposure to robotic procedures. 2 Hall M.E. Reddy R.M. Should every medical student receive exposure to robotic surgery?. J Robot Surg. 2017; 11: 375-376https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-016-0643-3 Crossref PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar Currently, medical student roles in robotic cases are mostly limited to observation. 3 Higgins R.M. O'Sullivan P. The robotic surgery learning experience through the eyes of the medical student: what do they see?. J Surg Educ. 2020; 77: 549-556https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2019.12.011 Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar As a result, students report that robotic procedures can be difficult to engage with, which impairs learning and motivation. 3 Higgins R.M. O'Sullivan P. The robotic surgery learning experience through the eyes of the medical student: what do they see?. J Surg Educ. 2020; 77: 549-556https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2019.12.011 Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar Hands-on training increases medical student engagement with surgical procedures, 4 McAnena P.F. O'Halloran N. Moloney B.M. et al. Undergraduate basic surgical skills education: impact on attitudes to a career in surgery and surgical skills acquisition. Ir J Med Sci. 2018; 187 (1971): 479-484https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-017-1696-7 Crossref PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar but there are significant barriers to student experiential learning with robotic surgery. Providing students with hands-on laparoscopic training is more feasible. Although little is known about how laparoscopic exposure affects medical students’ engagement with robotic procedures, most surgeons agree that there are overlapping elements in laparoscopy and robotics. 5 Green C.A. Mahuron K.M. Harris H.W. O'Sullivan P.S. Integrating robotic technology into resident training:challenges and recommendations from the front lines. Acad Med J Assoc Am Med Coll. 2019; 94: 1532-1538https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002751 Crossref Scopus (23) Google Scholar As such, emphasizing overlapping features during laparoscopic procedures may improve engagement and learning with both modalities.