Report of the 2007 Education Committee Panel on simulation in alimentary tract surgery.

At the 2007 Digestive Diseases Week, the Education Committee of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract sponsored a symposium entitled "Simulation in Gastrointestinal Surgery." Four panelists presented perspectives on the role of simulation in education and training of medical students and residents in operations of Gastrointestinal Surgery in the gastrointestinal surgeon's practice, in the certification of centers for training and maintenance of skills, and in the credentialing of surgeons in new procedures. The consensus of the panel is that over the next several years, simulation will play an expanding role in all of these spheres of the GI surgeon's activities.