Robotic Colorectal Surgery-Teaching and Skill Acquisition

As robotic technology becomes more commonplace, the demand for structured training programs in robotic surgery will increase. Every new technology has its learning curve and robotic surgery is no exception. The ideal training program in robotic surgery should progress from laboratory exercises to a mentored clinical experience in patients. This review presents the reported experience on teaching robotic surgery, suggests protocols for training colorectal surgeons as well as elaborates on the tools to objectively measure technical proficiency.