Simulation and training in Urology - in collaboration with ESU/ESUT.

Being a Surgeon today means taking on your shoulders countless responsibilities. It is definitely a high-stakes job but, even though the professionals do not go through the intense, focused and demanding training schedule as followed by the other equally risky fields, it doesn't yet require any practical training certification. Simulation was introduced in the aviation field in the early '30s with the "Link Trainer", designed to reproduce the most difficult flying case scenario: landing on an air-carrier. After almost a century, flight simulation is still becoming more sophisticated, while surgical training is slowly starting to fill the gap. The aim of a simulator is to produce an "imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time". This short but effective definition explains why simulators are utilised across different fields. There is no doubt that surgeons are continuously undergoing a condition of stress, even in nonthreatening situations, while performing a procedure. This condition adds a relevant variable to surgery, meaning that mastering technical skills is not always equal to "safe surgery". This is why "non-technical skills" (NTS) training should be a part of any simulation based training opportunity and will probably start to be always more part of the Handson Training programs.