Multiple facets of learning a skill – Amalgamation of learning theories in cadaveric surgical skill lab

Psychomotor skills training includes three stages of learning. In the cognitive stage, there is a creation of awareness regarding the items to be learned; in the associative stage, the refining of skills takes place, and in the autonomous stage, the proficiency in the skills is developed (1). One of the ways by which novice surgeons acquire mastery standards, before proceeding to perform surgical skills independently, is by practicing in cadavers. In contrast to the conventional pattern of learning, i.e. apprenticeship model whereby the trainees learn by ‘see one, do one and teach one’ adage, cadaveric skill lab ascertains the transformation/ change of individual abilities in a structured environment in pursuit of a task goal. The above statement could be substantiated by the study conducted by Zendejas et al. (2), where residents trained under simulated settings were able to complete the task goal, i.e. total extraperitoneal repair in lesser time and with reduced intra-operative and post-operative complications compared to the traditional training group.