Objective: With robotic technology's rapid growth and integration, an urgent need to bridge the educational gap in thoracic surgical training has emerged. This document, a result of consensus among a group of experts in the practice and training of robotic surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), aims to provide a framework for a standardized national robotic curriculum for thoracic surgery trainees.
Methods: The STS Task Force on Robotic Thoracic Surgery and Workforce on E-learning and Educational Innovation assembled an expert group with the input of the Thoracic Surgery Director's Association (TSDA). A focused literature review was performed, and expert consensus statements were developed using a modified Delphi process to address three major themes: (1) Program expectations, (2) Components of training, and (3) Assessment and feedback.
Results: A consensus was reached on 12 recommendations. These consensus statements reflect updated insights on developing a standardized robotics curriculum based on the latest literature and current educational experience, focusing on program expectations and educational guidelines to develop an optimal training curriculum.
Conclusions: The expert panel provides several key recommendations to provide a framework for developing a standardized national robotic thoracic curriculum, which would improve resident education and abridge any educational disparity that may exist among programs.
Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.