Mobile Operating Room

Technology is changing the way many of us work, including surgeons.

On Friday, local doctors and medical students got the chance to try out the latest tools of their trade.

Getting a chance to check out a state-of-the-art operating room is interesting for many people. It's also helpful for those getting into the healthcare profession.

"It's a very good experience, especially if you aren't too familiar with some of the procedures or haven't been able to do them," USD Physician Assistant Student Amber Davidson said.

One of the real benefits of this is it provides hands-on training and you can actually touch the tools yourself.

But for others, they work with the tools every day. Avera DDI Surgical Director Doctor Scott Baker is the only surgeon in the region to use no scar single incision colon surgery.

"It takes an advance on laparoscopy, which was traditionally multiple small incisions. Now moves them into one small incision in the belly button, which leaves essentially no scar at the end of the surgery," Baker said.

Baker has been a surgeon for eight years, but in those eight years, there have been a lot of technological changes.

"I started off as large open surgery, big abdominal incisions, slowly advanced to something we call hand-assisted surgery, which is a small camera and putting one hand in the abdomen. Now the mainstay is laparoscopy, which is several small incisions," Baker said.

Baker says there will continue to be new technology available. That's why students like Davidson, who will soon graduate, will be constantly learning.

"Anytime you can practice with any of the tools it's always going to be beneficial," Davidson said.

And that’s a benefit made possible by this state-of-the-art bus.

Covidien's Innovation Tour travels around the country. On Friday, the bus was parked near the Prairie Center at Avera McKennan.