Robotic Surgery Training
Robotic surgery is rapidly changing the practice of surgery, and today’s residents will enter a surgical environment in which proficiency with robotic technology is increasingly important across multiple specialties. At UVA, we believe that exposure to robotic surgery alone is not enough. Our goal is to provide residents with a structured, longitudinal robotic surgery curriculum that begins during internship and progresses throughout residency, combining simulation, hands-on training, case-based education, and progressively greater responsibility in the operating room.
UVA residents have exceptional access to robotic technology, with nine operating rooms equipped for multi-port robotic surgery, including four featuring the newest da Vinci 5 (DV5) system. All robotic operating rooms have dual consoles to facilitate resident teaching and progressive operative autonomy. Our curriculum is designed to make the most of these resources and to help every resident develop the technical skills, judgment, and operative experience needed to become a proficient robotic surgeon by graduation.
A Five-Year Learning Pathway
Robotic surgery education at UVA follows a defined developmental pathway. Rather than concentrating robotic training within a single rotation or senior year, residents build skills progressively throughout training.
Building the Foundation
Interns begin with formal instruction in robotic technology, hands-on orientation, simulation, and experience as bedside assistants. Residents learn the fundamentals of robotic operating room setup, workflow, instrumentation, and safe use of the platform while beginning to develop basic technical skills.
Developing Technical Skills
Second-year residents advance their simulation training and participate in procedure-focused hands-on education. Training emphasizes mastery of the robotic platform, bedside proficiency, docking and instrumentation, and the transition toward meaningful experience at the surgeon console.
Transitioning to the Console
As residents progress, the emphasis shifts from basic technical proficiency to procedural proficiency. Residents perform increasingly substantial portions of robotic operations and develop skills such as tissue handling, dissection, suturing, and anastomosis while continuing structured simulation and case-based learning.
Progressive Operative Autonomy
Senior residents apply their skills to increasingly complex operations across multiple surgical disciplines. The goal is progressive autonomy: moving from performing portions of an operation to performing the majority of increasingly challenging robotic procedures under faculty supervision.
By graduation, residents are expected to have progressed from understanding the robotic platform to possessing the technical and procedural proficiency necessary to incorporate robotic surgery into fellowship training and independent surgical practice.
Year-Round Education
The UVA Robotic Surgery Curriculum extends well beyond time spent in the operating room. Residents participate in educational activities throughout the year designed to prepare them for operative opportunities and reinforce skills between rotations.
The curriculum incorporates:
- Structured simulation, with exercises selected according to level of training and repeated as residents advance
- Monthly robotic case discussions, emphasizing operative strategy, anatomy, technique, and surgical decision-making
- Video-based case studies spanning bariatric, colorectal, foregut, hernia, and cardiothoracic surgery
- Defined goals and milestones for each stage of residency
- Hands-on skills training that becomes progressively more advanced as residents develop
- Extensive operative experience with dual-console teaching, allowing faculty to provide real-time instruction while residents operate
Simulation is integrated directly into the clinical environment. Robotic consoles equipped with the latest simulation software allow residents to practice technical skills efficiently—including during otherwise unused time between operative cases.
Annual Robotic Surgery Bootcamp
A centerpiece of the curriculum is the UVA Robotic Surgery Bootcamp, held each July. Every resident participates in a session specifically designed for their level of training. The educational experience evolves each year as residents’ skills develop: junior residents concentrate on fundamentals and foundational technical skills, while intermediate residents progress to procedure-based training, suturing, and anastomotic techniques. Senior residents participate in advanced procedural training using unembalmed cadaveric tissue, allowing them to rehearse complex operations in a highly realistic environment before translating those skills to patient care. This progressive structure allows the Bootcamp to serve a different purpose at every stage of residency rather than repeating the same introductory robotic course each year.
