UCSF pioneers robotic surgery assistant certification for medical students

Editor's Note

University of California San Francisco (UCSF) became the first university to certify medical students as robotic surgery bedside assistants, giving future surgeons unprecedented hands-on training in a rapidly growing field, an August 25 UCSF news release reports. The program reportedly positions learners alongside attending surgeons, nurses, and scrub technicians in robotic procedures while preparing them for residency.

Robotic surgery is booming, per the outlet, with 2.63 million US procedures performed in 2024—nearly 20% more than the year before. While the technology enables minimally invasive surgical procedures across specialties such as urology, gynecology, and gastrointestinal surgery, its design has limited student access. Surgeons control robots from enclosed consoles, leaving trainees physically separated from the operating table. UCSF professor Hueylan Chern, MD, and colleagues recognized students were often sidelined, passively watching video feeds rather than participating.

To address this, UCSF developed a first-of-its-kind certification program. Final-year medical students receive structured training that begins with online modules and progresses to small-group labs where they learn to position robots, exchange instruments, and manage the arms’ complex movements. Once certified, students wear a sticker on their ID badge signaling their eligibility to assist in cases at UCSF’s Parnassus and Mission Bay hospitals. They first shadow trained assistants before taking the lead role, while faculty provide weekly feedback to balance learning with safety.

The program builds on UCSF’s established robotic surgery training curriculum, launched in 2018, which spans medical students through residency. Early pilots showed strong results, with nearly all students reporting they felt better prepared for surgical rotations. So far, more than a dozen students have earned certification. Many say it bolstered their residency applications and deepened their interest in robotic surgery. Faculty and clinical teams, including nurse managers, have embraced the initiative, creating what Dr Chern called a culture of open-mindedness and shared teaching.

In recognition of UCSF’s innovation, Dr Chern was admitted in July to the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, the nation’s highest honor in surgical education.