Saint Alphonsus donates robotic surgical system to CWI

IBR Staff//March 22, 2016//

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Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise has donated a da Vinci Robotic Surgical System to the College of Western Idaho’s Surgical Technology program. The system allows surgeons to perform complex surgical procedures through the use of an interactive robot with instrument arms, and 3D HD cameras that provide a magnified view from inside the body.

The da Vinci Surgical System, which was used at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise for the past decade, will now be used to teach students in CWI’s Surgical Technology program.

When purchased new, a da Vinci Surgical System costs around $2 million. The advanced technology is used in operating rooms around the world in a wide variety of practices including cardiology, general surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, and urology.

“This is exciting for students and instructors,” says Mona Bourbonnais, CWI’s Surgical Technology program chair. “Typically our students are not exposed to this technology until they enter a clinical site. By having this technology in our lab, students will have a valuable opportunity to become familiar with it prior to their clinical rotations.”