Simulation in surgical education

Simulation is becoming an important tool in surgical education. Surgical faculty have been forced to modify how they teach technical skills. Instead of a complete reliance on teaching in the operating room, a structured curriculum and dedicated time in the simulation center are being used in many centers. Some of the advantages of this approach include the ability to learn and practice new procedures in a safe and nurturing environment. The disadvantages include the significant cost of virtual reality simulators and the competition, between various training programs, to gain access to simulation. •Teaching surgical skills and assessing the performance of a trainee should be done ideally in a simulation center.•Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) and competency-based residency education are being adopted in training programs.•More procedural teaching should take place outside of the operating room