Virtual Reality Surgery

It may come as a surprise, but most surgeons learn their craft in the operating room on living patients. Medical students practice on a handful of cadavers, but for many procedures, they watch a senior surgeon, try a few steps, and then perform the surgery themselves.

If that makes you a little nervous, you’ll be happy to hear that researchers are now testing simulators for residents to practice on virtual patients before the scalpel reaches skin. Here with more is Dr. Dilworth Cannon. He teaches orthopedics at the University of California, San Francisco. He’s leading a clinical trial on the effectiveness of virtual reality training.

Wired: Virtual Reality Could Keep You From Being a Surgical Guinea Pig

(Photo courtesy of Dilworth Cannon)