Park City Students Meet “Moose” and Participate in Robotic High-Tech

You can call it the da Vinci XI robotic-assisted surgical system. Or, as its surgical team fans do, you can call it “Moose.”

Either way, the robotic assisted surgery program is helping to save lives and not incidentally, engage potential future health care providers.

In late September, students from Park City High School’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies participated in a high-tech robotic operating room experience at Intermountain Park City Hospital to get an up-close look and hands-on experience with robot-assisted surgery.

Moose — nicknamed for the resemblance of its surgical arms to antlers and also because this largest of all the deer species is the mascot of Park City, Utah — is used for minimally-invasive surgical procedures for gynecologic, urologic, and other general surgery cases.

Students got an up-close and personal experience with “Moose” during a hands-on demonstration of the same system surgeons use for training. During the hands-on surgery simulation, students learned how the system works while unwrapping miniature candy bars. The point of the demonstration was to encourage the young people to see how math and science translates to career opportunities involving technology, engineering, and health care.