Curriculum

Curriculum and Study Schedule

PennMicro is designed to accelerate your microsurgery learning curve through a series of simple exercises, each targeting a fundamental microsurgery movement. This is based on the same principles for skill acquisition used in other high-performance fields, from sports and music to aviation.  If you practice these fundamental skills, you can make these aspects of microsurgery essentially automatic, freeing your mind to focus on other critical aspects of each microsurgery case.  

PHASE 1: Skill Acquisition (1 week, 30 minutes per day)

Day 1

Watch and practice:

  • Intro
  • Holding the instruments
  • Hitting the dots

Day 2

Watch and practice:

  • Dominant hand with the metronome
  • Non-dominant hand with the metronome
  • Both hands with the metronome

Day 3

Watch and practice:

  • Following the curve
  • Loading the needle
  • Throwing the stitch

Day 4

Watch and practice:

  • Grabbing the tail
  • Tying the knot

Day 5

Watch and practice:

  • Tying challenge: sticky tack

Day 6

Watch and practice:

  • Tying challenge: bone wax

Day 7

Watch:

  • Intraop video: arterial anastomosis

PHASE 2: Focused Practice (1-4 weeks, 30 minutes per day)

10 min

Practice fundamentals (one or all of the following):

  • Hitting the dots
  • Dots with the metronome
  • Following the curve

10 min

Practice skills (one or all of the following):

  • Loading the needle
  • Grabbing the tail
  • Throwing the stitch

10 min

Practice throwing and tying (one or all of the following):

  • Tying the knot
  • Sticky tack
  • Bone wax

PHASE 3: Maintenance (lifelong practice, 5-10 minutes per day, 3-4 days per week)

5-10 min               

Your micro skills are perishable, and without some regular practice, they can start to fade. A few times per week, spend 5-10 minutes practicing some aspect of your micro skills: this could be hitting the dots while you wait for a case to start, or throwing a few stitches after work while you’re watching tv. Pick an approach that you can maintain: whatever form of practice will most easily fits into your day.