Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery: Educational challenge

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) training is unique in that it crosses specialty lines and most practitioners do not possess both the knowledge and skill to perform the procedures in their current form. The learning process becomes even more complex because the field is in constant evolution with advances in technology and technique being introduced almost daily! The challenges of learning NOTES illustrates a larger problem in all procedurally based medical specialties today-the pace of change has become so rapid that a practicing physician's technical skills become out of date within five to ten years of completing residency or fellowship training. As a result, practicing physicians must develop a strategy to rapidly learn about a new technique or technology and introduce it safely into their practice while satisfying the concerns of their hospital's credentialing committee. This chapter will explore the options for learning new procedures and discuss the rapidly expanding armamentarium of education institutes and the developing technology to measure procedural competence.