Review article
Surgical simulators in didactics of minimally invasive techniques

Teaching in surgery has reached a new perspective in the 21^st century. The greatest impact on didactics has been obtained due to the wide spread of minimally invasive surgery. Increasing demands from patients made it inevitable to include laparoscopy and flexible endoscopy in the curriculum of surgical specialities. Such training performed on live patients may cause multiple controversies. Ethical issues, legal obstacles and the threat of high financial compensations for mistakes made during the so-called \'learning curve’ have prompted significant questions on new methodologies of initial training within surgery. The Pomeranian Foundation for Progress in Surgery is the first Polish non-governmental institution involved in modern and multidirectional tuition of surgery. Thanks to the active search for funding and broad international experience, the Foundation offers the infrastructure and methodology unavailable in any other centre in Poland. The authors present their experience and approach to teaching of surgery involving the use of virtual and physical simulators.