title: How to conduct a successful workshop: The trainees' perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the success of a medical workshop from the trainees' perspective, where a medical workshop is a scientific event with the aim of presenting updated knowledge and to teach medical skills to the participants. In surgical specialties, it contributes to the development and maintenance of surgical skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline was searched for the previous 4 months to identify articles with combinations of the keywords 'workshops', 'training', 'simulators', and 'virtual reality'. Further articles were obtained by manually searching the reference lists of identified papers. We also obtained information and critical aspects of view from other trainees.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on 30 articles from the Medline search, and mostly from the trainees' perspective, we present the basic characteristics of a successful workshop. The objective of the workshop, appropriate faculty members and presenters, highly motivated participants, the use of simulators and evaluation sheets, the venue and the registration fees all have a major role in the success of a workshop.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A successful workshop is that from which trainees have grasped most of the knowledge and skills imparted to them, with a positive progression reflected on their learning curve. Workshops are a current necessity and all efforts should be made to achieve the desired result from the trainees' perspective.
authors.affiliation: Urology Department, Sismanoglio Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Michail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth, London, UK.
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kachrilas
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dina
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth, London, UK.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bourdoumis
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth, London, UK.
authors.forename: Junaid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth, London, UK.
authors.forename: Noor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.affiliation: Urology Department, Sismanoglio Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papatsoris
keywords: Simulators; Surgical skills; Trainees; Virtual reality; Workshop