Given the decrease in resident work hours, which translates to fewer cases, cadaver labs are also helpful.
Virtual-reality models are being developed and will be available this decade.
Golden rule of surgery: Do unto others…
SHULL: I would advise residents to treat every woman as you would your wife, mother, sister, daughter, or yourself. That may mean using a consultant for some of your patients.
Those of us who are teachers must use all available resources, including didactic instruction, video clips, cadaver dissection, simulators, and hands-on supervision in the operating room.
Those who are learning new procedures must be willing to accept constructive comments and critically evaluate their own skills.
KARRAM: I think it is important to continue training residents in the basics of pelvic floor support and anatomy. If the future involves passing needles into blind spaces, the outcomes will be disastrous if the surgeon is not comfortable with the relevant anatomy.
Secondly, surgeons should maintain their skills in proven operations such as abdominal sacrocolpopexy and sacrospinous ligament suspension. As we gain experience and long-term data, other procedures can be added more easily if we have a good understanding of the conventional repairs.