July 29, 2012 —
About 40 first-year thoracic surgery residents from around the country learned surgery skills at a “boot camp” held last week at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Much of the training was on simulators, which use pig hearts and lungs with mechanical circulation and ventilation to provide a lifelike setting for the residents to learn and practice skills before they go to the operating rooms at their hospitals. Residents learn routine surgery techniques and how to deal with emergencies during surgery.
The boot camp, held at UNC’s Friday Center, is sponsored by the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA). The camp teaches basic skills to residents who are beginning their thoracic surgery training, said Richard Feins, M.D., of the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, a director of the boot camp. About 30 surgeons from other universities came to UNC to assist with the training.
Reporter Cliff Bellamy of The Herald-Sun wrote about the training in an article published Sunday, July 29, 2012.
Dr. Feins is principal investigator of an eight-institution study of whether simulator training for resident physicians improves patient safety. The study is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Read more about the surgery simulation project here.
Margaret Alford Cloud, UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery