LAUSR

Surgery like any art form is best learned at the elbow of a mentor. The term “mentor” has its origin in the master piece Iliad and Odyssey (with the king Odysseus leaving his son with his friend Mentor to train). This concept has always been an integral part of learning and mentoring in Indian culture since ancient times. Simulation is also not new to the world. It goes back more than 3000 years when Sushruta, an Indian icon of surgery, was not only performing complex surgeries but also training his mentees in doing these procedures using innovative simulation methods (tools) like moth eaten wood for probing and watermelons and cucumber for laparotomies and fasciotomies. All trainees were expected to train for nearly 6 years and take an oath after graduation. This was very much like the Halsteadean residency and Hippocratic Oath of today [1–5]. Cambridge dictionary defines simulation as “a model of a set of problems or events that can be used to teach someone how to do something, or the process of making such a model. ...”. Simulators have an established role in aviation industry, and there is enough evidence to recommend their usage in surgery as a very effective method not only to train surgical trainees but also to assess them objectively. Many lessons have been learnt from aviation industry in using simulations to train and create various safety checklists. The strict compliance of these checklists has shown a significant improvement in various safety-related outcomes in the operation theatres. But the art that is surgery is not just about safety [3–7]. It is an established fact that the best way to learn is to utilize one’s own creativity to construct one’s knowledge. Making a working model based on a thorough understanding of surgical anatomy and technique is one such way to achieve it. It is more relevant in the field of surgery because reading and understanding alone does not necessarily translate into ability to perform in a real-life scenario. Surgery still is a craft speciality that is learnt under a mentor or Guru’s direct supervision. However, because of the restricted and curtailed training period and a larger number of trainees, the challenge is to create time for the trainer-trainee relationship to develop. And therefore, to maximize the training opportunities, it is necessary to explore innovative ideas to enhance the quality of training especially in surgery [1, 2, 8].