Advanced Laparoscopy Training for General Surgery Residents Using a Pig Model (Sus scrofa domestica)

This protocol is designed to be part of the surgical training of Air Force physicians during their General Surgical residency at Keesler Medical Center. It provides residents with the opportunity to practice laparoscopic operative techniques in order to increase technical proficiency before they work on a human patient. It augments the clinical and didactic training provided to them in the residency program while providing valuable, hands-on experience in laparoscopic surgery pertaining to the abdomen, and augments their military medical readiness skills. Twenty-two residents were trained and 5 animals used.