- Robotic-Assisted Surgery Training in Canadian Surgical Residency Programs: Current Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities
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Xin Yu Yang, Gabrielle Massé, Franck Vandenbroucke-Menu, Jean-François Tremblay, Julien Letendre, Sabrina Piedimonte, Hugues Jeanmart, Isabelle Raiche, Ariane Lacaille-Ranger
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Received June 10, 2026 Accepted September 14, 2026 Published online November 2, 2026
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.69474/jsie.2026.00150
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 Abstract
- Background
Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is rapidly evolving, yet residency programs do not consistently include RAS training. We aimed to assess current approaches to RAS teaching in Canadian surgical residency programs.
Methods
Between May and June 2024, a survey was conducted among program directors (PDs) of all accredited surgical residency programs in Canada, including cardiac surgery, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery.
Results
Among the 123 included residency programs, PDs from 58/123 (47.2%) completed the survey. Of the responding PDs, 34/58 (58.6%) reported RAS availability in their programs; 25/34 (73.5%) of these programs provided residents with active clinical exposure. Only 9/25 (36.0%) of these programs offered hands-on console time, and 13/25 (52.0%) provided basic RAS training before clinical exposure. The main challenges were insufficient time to add training objectives to an already demanding curriculum (70.7%) and a lack of resources for practice (70.7%). PDs identified simulation training and collaboration with robotic companies as potential solutions for RAS education.
Conclusions
RAS availability and resident training varied substantially across Canadian surgical residency programs. Although most responding programs had adopted RAS, the extent of resident involvement and preparatory training differed widely. Competency-based training may help address this gap in surgical education. Standardizing the RAS curriculum across Canadian surgical residency programs is urgently needed to ensure consistent education and competency as the field rapidly advances.
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