An integral part of the Department of Surgery's residency program is the Surgical Skills Laboratory. The facility is located in Bellevue, making it a central location between the three hospitals, NYU, Bellevue and VA which make up the main campus of the NYU School of Medicine training centers.

The Surgical Skills program, an adjunct to residency education, began in the spring of 2004 with laparoscopic sessions. We have a full curriculum of sessions from the R1 level through the R5 level of training. While each session contains a lecture, the primary focus is on the hands on skills with instruction and individual practice on a given surgical technique and procedure. By utilizing a skills program in residency training, the residents are given the opportunity to learn, practice and improve on various skills in an environment that is stress free, which is not always available while treating patients. Our surgical instructors enjoy utilizing the skills sessions in addition to teaching in the O.R. as it allows time for instruction, return demonstration and the ability to critique techniques without the time constraints during surgery.

All interns who enter the General Surgery Program are required to attend the 13 surgical skills sessions regardless of sub specialty. Our program at the intern level is designed to be applicable to all surgical specialties. Sessions in the program include topics such as proper instrument handling, dissection, emergency (surgical) airway management, CVL placement, principles of electrocautery, F.A.S.T. ultrasound and introduction to laparoscopic surgery.

As the residents progress through training the surgical skills sessions become more focused on general surgery topics. These include more advanced laparoscopic techniques which cumulate with laparoscopic animal lab sessions at an off site facility, in addition to bowel and vascular anastomosis sessions. Each of these sessions teach surgical techniques at a level that is appropriate to the resident's surgical year and expectations of practice. Our program also offers additional cadaver workshops for the senior residents with the focus on anatomic basis of surgical dissection.

The Surgical Skills Curriculum is an open curriculum with room to expand and add workshops as needed. We will soon be adding programs which will include the use of surgical simulators in the areas of interventional vascular surgery, upper and lower GI endoscopy as well as a human patient simulator. The use of a human patient simulation will allow for instruction on the care of a patient in a crisis situation utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach.

The Surgical Skills lab is also open for the residents to return independently and practice 7 days a week. Our facility is also used for skills sessions and workshops by the Departments of GYN, Urology, Ophthalmology and Orthopedics.