Tyco have been a little slow getting off the mark with laparoscopic educational packages. However, they have been talking and listening and have come up with PACT, a new and very exciting development. They have also gone a long way to answering some of the problems associated with the preceptor programme ie in the real world, most of us have our own work to get on with, targets to achieve not forgetting problems with beds. It is also far from satisfactory traveling all over the country.

One of the main goals of the PACT programme is to try and shorten a participating surgeons learning curve by allowing each individual to share their experiences with a top expert at work. Thestyle is qualitative training.

It has only just started this year and it intialy is directed towards laparoscopic colorectal and bariatric surgery. Laparoscopic urology comes on board next year. The programme guides surgeons through three different educational steps.

Tyco MasterClass course. This is organised around a faculty of internationally renowned experts and takes place in the Tyco training centre based in Elancourt France. This is a two day course and comprises interactive lectures on both laparoscopic technology and surgical technique. There are also wet lab workshops. The Elancourt wet labs are very, very impressive - over 20 operating stations.

Clinical Emersion Centres Over a three day period a small group of surgeons will observe the same experts operating in their own working environment. These sessions again encompass interactive lectures and seminars looking at potential pitfalls and their solutions. It is all very informal and set in a relaxed atmosphere.

On-site mentoring in your own hospital. One of the experts, will then accompany you during your first clinical steps. Antonio Lacey watching you do your first resection! You can then discuss any problems within your own working environment.

So who are the experts?

Andre D'Hoore - UZ Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
Antonio Lacey - Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Guy-Bernard Cadiere - St Pierre, Brussels, Belgium
Evaghelos Xynos - University Hospital Heraklio, Crete
Hermann Kessler - Erlangen University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany
John Motson - Hull
Tom Cecil - Basingstoke,
Ulf Kressner - Uddevalla Central Hospital, Stockolm, Sweden

When is this happening?

18/19 May 2006
22/23 June 2006
28/29 September 2006

How do you get registered?

The Masterclass & PACT registrations occur through the local sales representative and local subsidiary that is liaising with our Professional Education department. Depending on surgeon's profile and objectives, the local representative and subsidiary may orient individual surgeons towards other courses (VIP courses) organized by the subsidiary itself.

U.K contacts should be oriented towards Tyco U.K and outside U.K contacts can be redirected towards us (MasterClass@emea.tycohealthcare.com) which we will redirect towards the interested subs.

Contact

Christopher Wittmann
Professional Education Director, EMEA
Education & Training Centre of Excellence, Elancourt
Cell:      + 33 6 07 67 09 42
Office:  +33 1 30 79 83 89
Email: christopher.wittmann@emea.tycohealthcare.com
           pact@emea.tycohealth.com

or contact

Julian Foster, Tyco Healthcare UK Ltd, 154 Fareham Rd., Gosport, Hamshire, PO13 OAS.
Tel: +44 (0) 1329 224 836
Fax: +44(0) 1329 224 400

We hope that this is as good as it sounds and that it is properly funded and not simply a marketing ploy. Remember the first rule of business "never promise something that you can not deliver". We suspect that it is not an easy programme to get a palce on. If it all goes well, we take our hats off - well done Tyco.