Performance optimization: it’s a phrase that may crop up most in sports—or perhaps, with the surge of artificial intelligence (AI), in discussions of machine learning.
But starting at 11:30 am in Room 254AB this morning, PS115—Peak Performance: Getting the Most Out of Training, will extend the meaning of this phrase to surgery, by examining how surgical trainees can get the most out of their learning experiences in and out of the operating room. The session will redirect the existing surgical training culture, which usually focuses on how to give medical students, residents, and fellows an optimal education, to what surgical trainees themselves can do to optimize their own learning and skill mastery.
Moderators Scott R. Steele, MD, FACS, chair of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and Caprice C. Greenberg, MD, FACS, chair of the Department of Surgery and Colin G. Thomas Jr., MD, Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, will lead the session.
Panelists will describe techniques to enhance learning using social media and podcasts. “In part, they allow for passive ways to access information (i.e., listening to podcasts on a commute or exercising), interact with colleagues to discuss specifics around education, coaching, or clinical situations (in the absence of HIPAA issues), and connect with leaders and colleagues around the world,” Dr. Steele explained.
In addition, panelists will discuss ways to improve performance in the operating room, including making a regular practice of video-recording operations and engaging a surgical coach—two methods that might be more familiar to athletes than surgeons. “There is ample literature for both depicting the benefits of video review prior to a performance and video reviews of your own cases. It is also analogous to the sports world of tape review, to look for opportunities to improve and situations where things went well and to continue those behaviors or techniques,” Dr. Steele noted.
“There is no question sports, surgical training (and surgery in general) share similarities in that light,” Dr. Steele also said. “Maintaining clear thought, goal setting, managing stress, and recognizing triggers and countermeasures to deal with them is critically important to optimal performance. The talk on coaching will explore this.”
Finally, the session will include a discussion about the role of AI and its place in surgical education and what is new or on the horizon for surgical training, particularly using AI to enhance one’s approach to surgery.
While the session will not delve into simulation, the themes also resonate with innovations in surgical simulation, which are engaging methods such as recording video, hand motions, and electroencephalography to disambiguate the skills of novice surgeons from experts.
This panel discussion will focus on offering meaningful insights to fellows, residents, and medical students, but any surgeon may benefit.
