Apply to a recognized, fully-credentialed medical training program at a university college of medicine or to a program offered by a recognized institution such as the International College of Robotic Surgery. You will need to have completed your medical degree and residency and be a member of surgical team. Be certain the training program includes the equipment you will use at your hospital.
Complete the technical training portion of the program. This will provide you with knowledge and understanding of the robotic equipment and its capabilities as well as the technical aspects of the sophisticated and intricate robotic system. It is important that you have a firm grasp of the equipment prior to beginning the clinical portion of your training. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established standards that all robotic surgeons must meet.
Apply for training in specific types of operations. Initially, your clinical experiences may include training with simulated tissues that react as do human tissues during surgical procedures. Your initial training will also likely include simple procedures such as laparoscopic surgery. As you acquire more experience and confidence, you will move to more complex and intricate surgeries.
Apply for a specific area of robotic surgical specialization. This may depend upon the needs of your hospital and/or surgical team or simply your preferences. In addition to general surgical applications, you can specialize in pediatric, gynecological, thoracic, urological or head and neck robotic surgery. The need for specialization is underscored when you consider that, for example, qualified robotic pediatric surgeons can perform as many as 50 different thoracic and abdominal procedures.
Investigate options to train for future robotic surgery applications. For example, tele-robotic surgery -- a surgeon performing surgery at a distance -- is expected to be a growth area and provide surgeons to people around the world who might otherwise not have access to lifesaving surgical procedures. As such features as haptics -- actual touch sensation -- virtual reality and other technologies are integrated with robotic surgery, surgeons will be able to perform less intrusive and more delicate procedures than ever before, whether in the operating room with the patient or at a site thousands of miles away.