Visual-spatial abilities in surgical training.

As surgery continues to advance, we will need to better understand the role visual-spatial abilities play in the acquisition of technical skills. Many universities have established surgical skills centers with specific curricula to teach residents technical skills as adjuncts to operating room learning. Yet, as educators we do not fully understand the role visual-spatial abilities plays in the acquisition of surgical skills. This paper summarizes the research to date on the relevance of visual-spatial abilities to surgical training.