Nintendo in Med School?

It may be some time before thenation's medical schools list playingPlayStation as part of a student's requiredcurriculum, but a recent study done atBeth Israel Medical Center in New YorkCity shows that surgeons who regularlyplay video games make more than a thirdfewer mistakes performing laparoscopicsurgery and take about 27% less time todo the procedures. The researchers notethat many of the skills required for videogame proficiency correlate well withthose needed for laparoscopic procedures, which require using joysticks tocontrol tiny cameras and surgical instruments.Laparoscopic surgery, which isminimally invasive, has become morepopular in recent years and can nowbe performed on almost any organ.According to the American MedicalGroup Association, the median annualcompensation for a general surgeon in2003 was about $270,000.