Distributed medical education programs have trouble providing suitable resources for certain forms of clinical training. Certain procedures are harder to learn because watching a skilled practitioner tells the learner little. Using a dual-control haptic device interface, and anatomically accurate virtual spinal models, we were able to create a Virtual Spinal Tap to improve the verisimilitude of an online learning experience. The devices and interfaces provided the means to measure and reproduce the subtle forces involved in a procedure that is learned by feel. Integration of this model with other simulation modalities would enhance its applicability.