The Medtronic Innovation Center (MIC), a training center of Medtronic Korea within the High-Tech Healthcare Complex in Osong, some 150 km south of Seoul, has trained about 30,000 medical professionals.

Amid the rapidly developing medical equipment, including surgical devices, Medtronic Korea has built a research and training facility, an unusual case for a private company. MIC also sets itself apart by being located within the healthcare complex, which accommodates the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and KBIO Health.

Trainees can experience virtual surgery using high-tech equipment

MIC was reborn as it is in 2017 when Medtronic acquired Irish medical device manufacturer Covidien. The facility itself has provided training for surgical techniques over the past decade.

Medtronic has advanced to 150 countries, including the United States. However, it operates an educational and training center like MIC in only eight places in seven countries, including Korea.

It is one of the few medical technique training facilities, along with Olympus Korea’s K-TEC (Olympus Korea Training & Education Center) in Songdo, Incheon, and Intuitive Epicenter in Seoul, which presents Korea.

MIC’s educational and R&D facilities comprise Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Lab, Vascular Treatment (VT) Lab, Surgical Lab, and Dry Lab.

ICU Lab has a human simulator, artificial respiration, monitoring system, and recording and debriefing system. VT Lab has TurboHawk Trainer, Mentice VIST-Lab, and Mentice VIST-Lab, allowing medical professionals to experience various devices.

Surgical Lab is a space where trainees can practice surgical methods in advance by reproducing the same operating table and surgical equipment as those in the hospital. It has 11 operating tables, 3D laparoscopic, 5mm and 10mm laparoscopic with 0.30 degrees, six endoscopic devices, an automatic adjustment table, LED light, and HD monitors.

In the Dry Lab, trainees can practice surgical techniques using laparoscopic. The lab also offers a training program where trainees can naturally acquire surgical techniques while playing games, such as sewing a skin model, transferring pins with a laparoscopic device, or passing it through a small loop.

In addition, a video conference is possible in a main auditorium with 112 seats, and participants can watch operations conducted in the surgical operation room on the center's second floor. It also has an electronic voting system, enabling participants to have two-way discussions on the best operational methods while watching the operation together.

Medtronic accepts applications through various related medical societies and partnerships, including the Korean Surgical Society, and collaborates with many medical institutions, including university hospitals.

Plans to offer virtual training programs through digital conversion

Medtronic also has a plan for digital conversion, considering the trend of digital transformation occurring in the medical field recently. For example, Singapore already offers training through digital content, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). MIC plans to introduce simulation systems where trainees can receive technical education using VR devices like Oculus.

“We are providing training programs for medical professionals free of charge. If Korean doctors’ technique improves, patients can receive better treatment and upgrade their quality of life,” said Kim Kyung-min, an executive at Medtronic Korea and the director of MIC. “We will spare no investment to contribute to society when there are needs for such training and education even if they have no direct relationships with our products.”