SURGICAL THEATER Students observe surgery via a picture window and 2 HD video screens inside the observation room at the Red Hills Surgical Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

How great is the view of surgery from the observation room at the Red Hills Surgical Center in Tallahassee, Fla.? "It was an even better experience than when I scrubbed in," a second-year student from Florida State University College of Medicine remarked after watching a case on the 2 36-inch, high-def monitors hanging in the observation room adjacent to 1 of the freestanding ASC's 5 ORs.

Students can view surgery through the large glass window that separates the observation room from the OR, but their gaze is usually fixed on the overhead screens relaying video feeds from 2 cameras in the OR, 1 suspended over the operative field and the other showing what the endoscopic camera sees. It's the surgeon's view of surgery, complete with his play-by-play narration — surgeons doing cases in the observation OR are miked-up — during the entire procedure.

"It's a living classroom," says Janet Shipman, Red Hill's director of educational outreach. "It's a better view than anybody standing in the OR has."

The non-sterile observation room is physically separate from the operating room, so no healthcare or background screenings are required. Rather than having to gown up, keep quiet and crane their necks to see what's going on from the corner of the OR, high school, nursing and medical students are free to chat and take notes in the observation room, even to ask questions of the surgeon during the case via a 2-way audio system.

"You can really see into the field rather than standing in the back of the room," says David Shapiro, MD, risk manager for Red Hills Surgical Center. "The huge LCD screens in the small room really give you the feeling that you're standing in the surgical suite. It's a great opportunity to provide a unique educational experience for people in the community and to spread the word about surgery."

Since the observation room opened last fall, hundreds of healthcare students have gotten a close-up view of surgery. "They leave and their jaws are literally hanging down in amazement," says Ms. Shipman.

— Dan O'Connor