Surgical education and surgical simulation

The science of virtual reality provides an entirely new opportunity in the area of simulation of surgical skills using computers for training, evaluat ion, and eventually certification. A taxonomy of the types of simulators is proposed based upon the level of complexity of the task which is being sim ulated. These tasks are precision placement, simple manipulation, complex m anipulation, and integrated procedure. Representative simulators in each ca tegory are illustrated and discussed in the context of their contribution t o the education and training of a surgeon. The importance of a curriculum i s to give content to the role of simulators as another advanced tool for ed ucation. Simulators must be integrated into a comprehensive curriculum and not considered as a stand-alone system. The current accomplishments as well as challenges are discussed.