Prior to the Robotic Surgery Simulation Week, medical students and residents could sign up for practical sessions on as many as five workstations, which all feature da Vinci simulators with consoles as well as ERMIS-VR simulation, offering altogether a total of twenty-one sessions.
Participants were expected to complete a variety of practical exercises using robotic surgery simulators and the associated virtual reality systems. All in all, more than three hundred of them completed these exercises, out of which the largest group was made up of fifth-year students.
- It is a matter of great pride for us that so many of our students took part in this simulation-based practical program, which offered them a truly unique experience. It makes us even more proud to see how well our medical students performed. Apart from the competitions held among the top performers in each session, the organizers reported an exceptionally high level of manual dexterity throughout the entire week, which is a proof of the high level of interest and aptitude of our students, and perhaps also of the value of our various practical skills-development programs. On the basis of the success of this initiative, the Faculty of Medicine is intent to continue supporting the organization of similar events in the future. I trust that, among the students participating in this and future programs, we will surely find the robotic surgeons of tomorrow- said Professor Norbert Németh, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Debrecen.
The grand prize of the competition was won by Boróka Dencs, who earned the chance to participate in a special training program at what is called ISLE Academy in Athens. Roland Henrik Mezei came in second, Zsombor Kovács third and Attila Béres fourth. The other participants who got into the semi-finals included Duong Trung Kien, Laiba Jamal, Hasna Fawmy, and Dóra Százvai. Those who performed best in their respective sessions were Jishnu Roy Choudhuri, Majdi Esau, Mustafa Alazzawi, Csaba Mező, Péter Horai, Dam Quang Ngoc Khiet, Rayhan Shafi and Mahdi Hakim.
Since the launching of the program at the University of Debrecen in 2024, there have been more than twelve hundred robot-assisted surgeries performed. This state-of-the-art technology also creates new opportunities for the training of medical students. The topic of robotic surgery has already been integrated into several subjects and courses within the medical curriculum at Debrecen, while laying further emphasis on this area continues to be a key objective and a component of the educational development plans of our university.
- During the course of this week of practical simulation, participants were obviously able to try out only but a few basic movements and the basics of the precision technology itself, with support provided by technicians from Athens’ ISLE Academy. The training of future surgeons also begins with a series of progressive practical courses designed to develop fundamental surgical skills gradually. However, the path leading to the acquisition of genuine surgical knowledge, experience, proficiency and competence is quite a long one. I do believe that it is important for our students to gain insight into the world of robotic surgery and become familiar with these new technologies at a fairly early stage in their training- said the faculty leader.
The one-week robotic surgery forum and practical simulation program was made possible through a collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine at UD and the Athens-based ISLE Academy (Innovation, Simulation & Learning Ecosystem, part of the SofMedica Group).
Press Centre - CzA