Click image above to view photos from the 2011 SESAUA Robotics Course

Dr. Vipul Patel, the Director of the Global Robotics Institute at Florida Hospital Celebration and the Southeastern Section of the AUA (SESAUA) partnered to offer a free robotics training course to residents of the SES residency programs on the weekend of October 22-23rd, 2011. This course commemorates the 5000th case at the Global Robotics Institute happening this week.

This course drew over 30 residents from 15 different residency programs within the SESAUA, and was designed by the SESAUA faculty to provide an optimal learning experience for Junior Urology Residents during their initial introduction to robotic surgery.  The course is based upon an annual course that has been provided to residents of the Florida programs for the last two years at the Global Robotics Institute.  The goal is to immerse the residents in two days of didactics and hands on with robotic surgery, thereby preparing them for their evolving robotic surgery experience in their home programs.

"This was a unique chance for the AUA under the leadership of the SESAUA to take an active role and provide this much needed educational experience for our future surgeons and stars.  In addition to the direct learning benefit and the "hands-on" experience, it provided an opportunity for the junior membership from the section to get acquainted and meet other attending in an intimate setting" said Raymond Leveillee, MD, FRCS-G, Professor of Clinical Urology, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at The University of Miami.

The curriculum was designed to cover the basics of robotics with an introduction to the technology.  The agenda then escalates into procedure specific education that is video based, including tips and tricks and challenging surgical scenarios.  The final day involves in depth video analysis of specific procedures and hands robotic experience.
“I believe this course provides the urology resident a strong foundation to begin their training as future robotic surgeons and I think it should be part of a standard robotic surgery training curriculum for urology residents” said Philip J. Dorsey Jr., MD, MPH , a resident from Tulane University.

The course was taught by our expert, volunteer faculty from residency programs within the SESAUA.  The hopeis that this will be an invaluable and exciting experience and provide a launching pad for resident’s robotic education.