Florida Hospital Adopts New Technologies to Improve Surgical Training

There is no wireless controller or game console, but surgeons are now able to use video game technology to practice their robotic surgery skills before going into the operating room.  At the Florida Hospital Nicholson Center, through a new strategic alliance partnership with Mimic Technologies, robotic surgeons will be perfecting new techniques by doing virtual surgery. 

            Each year, the Nicholson Center provides training for more than 10,000 physicians. Now with the Mimic simulator added to the robotic surgery curriculum, doctors will be able to train in a new simulation center inside the Nicholson Center.  Video game and, in the near future, virtual reality simulation training is rapidly being adopted as hospitals seek to minimize the learning curve associated with robotic surgery. Mimic Technologies, the company responsible for da Vinci® robot simulation, has provided the latest simulation technology to Florida Hospital to help meet the demand for better training. 

            “Robotic surgery offers several benefits to patients.  It is minimally invasive so there is less scaring and patients generally experience quicker recovery time,” said Dr. Arnold Advincula, medical director of the benign gynecologic surgery program at Florida Hospital Celebration Health.  The more physicians we can train to use this technology appropriately, the more patients will be able to benefit.  Incorporating the Mimic simulator into training courses gives the doctor and patient additional confidence when entering the operating room.”

            Mimic will collaborate with the Nicholson Center to develop simulation-based curricula as part of the strategic alliance partnership. The new jointly developed curricula will accelerate the adoption of the latest robotic technologies and techniques and surgeon skill expertise.

“This new partnership focuses on educating surgeons at Florida Hospital and beyond about the importance of effective training, in order to save lives and improve cost and quality,” says Jeff Berkley, founder and CEO of Mimic Technologies.   “It is our hope that access to quality simulation training will move surgeons more rapidly up the learning curve.”