ERUS Robotic Curriculum: then & now

ERUS Robotic Curriculum: then & now

What started in 2013 as an ERUS pilot project evolved to the first validated robotic curriculum in the world and an established proficiency based progression training pathway! The ERUS Robotic Curriculum was an important and one of the first steps to shifting surgical training in the operating room to training labs away from the human patient.

Establishment of a robotic surgery training programme

As the role of robot-assisted surgery in urology was growing, the development of structured and validated training programmes was and still is of vital importance for the future of young surgeons! This 12-week training curriculum was developed based on an expert panel discussion and started with 10 fellows from 10 major European teaching institutions. Now, almost 10 years later, more than 30 robotic urology fellows are trained on a yearly basis over 50 participating ERUS host centres across Europe.

The ultimate goal of the curriculum is to allow a surgeon to perform a robot-assisted prostatectomy independently and effectively which should result in:

• Significantly less complication rates
• Safer surgery for the patients

• Cheaper surgery for the community.

   

Trained up to proficiency

Next to the fact that the 5-day course at Orsi Academy is the official and mandatory kick-off of the fellowship, the Robotic Skills Course is a well-established training course following the principles of the proficiency-based progression training methodology. “In essence,” says Prof. Dr. Mottrie, “we want to train surgeons up to proficiency level and ensure the assessments are fair. So at the end of the road, you have a very objective, reproducible, standardized way of training and assessing surgeons."

Robotic Skills Course at Orsi Academy

This 5-day course is a fundamental theoretical & practical part and the mandatory kick-off for every fellow of the ERUS Robotic Curriculum. This week we are proudly welcoming 6 new promising surgeons for the 42th Robotic Skills Course at Orsi Academy!

The Robotic Skills Course consists of 5 days full of theoretical lectures, simulation, hands-on wet & dry lab training, skill drills, live case observation & networking moments which makes it rightfully revolutionary. After a technical training with a system overview & simulator training, participants start their first hands-on training on a chicken model.

On day 2, live surgery is broadcasted straight out of the operating room of Prof. Dr. Alex Mottrie at the OLV Hospital Aalst to Orsi Academy.

What follows are 3 full days of thorough hands-on training. On day 5, the course concludes with a final assessment and if achieved, a certificate to proficiency.