Trainees Want Tailored Robotic Curriculum for Acute Care Surgery Fellowships

Morihiro K, Brabender D, Maura SE, et al. Targeted Needs Assessment for Developing a Robotic Surgery Training Curriculum for Acute Care Surgery Fellows: A Mixed-Methods Analysis. J Am Coll Surg. March 2026.

Despite the recent introduction of robotic surgery in acute care surgery, a structured training curriculum tailored for fellows remains to be established. Authors aimed to identify the specific needs and ideal structure of the robotic training curriculum during acute care surgery fellowship.

This study employed a mixed-methods design using semi-structured interviews and web-based surveys targeting the current ACS/Surgical Critical Care (SCC) fellows. The interviews focused on robotic training needs and future career plans. Interview responses were thematically analyzed using an inductive approach.

A total of 17 fellows from four trauma centers were enrolled. All of them had experience with robotic surgery prior to the fellowship, with 47.1% having >40 cases as bedside assistances during residency, while 58.8% had 21–40 console surgeon cases. Most fellows (70.6%) plan to perform elective surgeries in their practice. All believe that robotic surgery will be a valuable addition to an ACS surgeon’s portfolio, particularly for future job prospects and comfortability in elective/emergency general surgery (EGS). 

Qualitative analysis identified three major themes: training modalities for curriculum frameworks (pre-fellowship preparation, on-the-job learning, easy access to trainers/simulator, value of different modules), barriers (resident priority, limited robotic cases, teaching consoles, dedicated robotic OR rooms/teams, limited mentorship, difficulty balancing trauma/SCC/EGS duties), and benefits (skill degradation prevention, resident education and teaching skills, career marketability, surgeon ergonomics).

Current fellows expressed varying levels of need in robotic surgery training based on their residency experiences and career goals. For surgical educators, as well as practicing surgeons and those in training, understanding that individualized robotic training opportunities tailored to specific needs are essential for developing a formal robotic curriculum during acute care surgery fellowship can help ensure that all acute care surgeons are prepared to use the technology in their practices.