Sorrell Center now houses laparoscopic surgery testing center












Test a new simulator



Between March 9 and 25, there will be the opportunity to try out a new simulator in the Sorrell Center’s simulation lab.

The ProMIS simulator offers another platform for medical personnel to:

  • Practice FLS tasks;
  • Simulate SILS (single incision laparoscopic surgery); and
  • Practice the hand assisted colectomy procedure.

To reserve your practice time please contact Patti Carstens at 559-9146 or pcarstens@unmc.edu.




The Sorrell Center is now an official Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) testing center — the only such center in Nebraska. The next closest center is in Columbia, Mo.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates that all general surgery chief residents be FLS certified before they take the American Board of Surgery exam.

The FLS testing center is run in conjunction with UNMC’s minimally invasive surgery (MIS) program, which is directed by Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D., associate professor of surgery and director of minimally invasive and robotic surgery.

“FLS testing is an essential step for residents and fellows,” said Rhonda Prewitt, an MIS program associate. “This center provides a convenient place for our faculty and residents, as well as others throughout the region to train and test.”

Residents and fellows from UNMC and other institutions can practice and perform the five FLS tasks on simulators. Each task is scored on accuracy and time proficiency. Several UNMC residents have already tested at the center.

The FLS program is jointly sponsored program of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS). It aims to teach fundamental knowledge, judgment and technical skills required in basic laparoscopic surgery.

These fundamentals help ensure a consistent standard of care for laparoscopic surgery patients.

For more information about the center or to schedule a FLS practice or test session, visit http://unmc.edu/mis/135.htm or call (402) 559-7733.