COT Mentoring Day Builds Bonds to Support Early Career Surgeons

In late June, 14 senior surgeons, 6 early career surgeons, and senior trauma staff partners gathered for Committee on Trauma (COT) Mentoring Day activities, led by Membership Chair Krista Kaups, MD, FACS.

The activities included an opening icebreaker that challenged teams to build the highest tower using only paper and tape as materials along with communication, innovation, leadership, and perseverance. The icebreaker was followed by a series of lectures/round table discussions, a speed mentoring session, and—new this year—a reverse mentoring session where the senior surgeons and staff got to solicit advice from the early career surgeons on a number of different topics!

One of the table activities was for each person to use a small baggie filled with 6 to 7 random Lego pieces to build something that depicted their experience over the two half-day sessions. Senior surgeon Lillian Kao, MD, FACS, described her structure saying, “building bridges elevates both sides of the equation” recognizing that both the senior and early career surgeons benefit from mentoring relationships.

The evening culminated with a casual dinner served family-style, which was representative of the close bonds formed in the trauma community and the commitment of the COT surgeons and staff to support the early surgeon group as they begin their careers and their service within the COT family.