The SurgeonMasters Podcast

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

This week on the Mini-Podcast we are welcoming back orthopaedic trauma surgeon, Phil Stahel, where he discusses one of the concepts of his book: knowing your janitor's name. This concept originates from a quest to be more empathic to patients. Studies show that medical students work towards proficiency and being technically excellent, but lose empathy in their 3rd year of medical school. Erosion of empathy occurs unless we're aware and mindful.

So, why do we need to know our janitor's names?

• It's a good indication of our empathy levels - it's like a marker

• It will allows us to understand our patients better and understand their feelings even if we don't agree with them

• We're more likely to understand their story, allowing us to choose the right procedure for the right patient at the right time

• Lastly, it improves our customer satisfaction scores

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Stahel, his book, Blood, Sweat and Tears - Becoming a Better Surgeon, is an enlightening dive into his 20-year journey from intern to successful surgeon and global patient safety advocate.

It is a perfect example of how surgeons can be both talented in the theater and talented outside of it.

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

This week on the Mini-Podcast we are discussing attending annual meetings after the AAOS last week. 

How do you get the most out of attending annual meetings and conferences?

By doing the following:

• Pre-op, the pro-active planning phase: identify the education events and meetings that are important to you, and get those onto your schedule. Consider scheduling time for networking and physical activity. 

• Inter-op, the operating plan during the meeting: follow through on the pre-op plan, but be able to adjust and remain flexible.

• Post-op, the post-meeting debrief: analyze the meeting and identify what went well and what could go better - how you can improve for next year?

Attending annual meetings is a perfect example of how surgeons can improve their effectiveness inside and outside of the OR.

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

This week, we are welcoming back onto the mini-Podcast Dr. Todd Swenning, Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California, and Medical Director for the Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences. Dr. Swenning will talk to us about patient advocacy, specifically about taking an active part in bettering patient care and thereby improving patient satisfaction. 

Todd A. Swenning, MD

How does he suggest we become the best advocates for our patients day-to-day? By doing the following:

• Asking yourself, how you can be a better patient advocate and remove your own biases from the conversation

• Listening objectively and take steps to answer the questions the patient should be asking 

• Be aware of the concept and think actively about it

• Afterwards, debrief and think critically about how each interaction went

Practice this, and it will become easier over time and make you a better physician.

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Todd Swenning, he is actively involved in policy making and advocacy with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association as well as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  Dedication to education has resulted in his teaching principles of trauma management and patient advocacy both nationally and internationally.  Research projects in both fracture and trauma management have laid the foundation for his passion for trauma and fracture prevention and preparedness.

It is a perfect example of how surgeons can be both effective in the operating room and outside of it.

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

This week on the Mini-Podcast we are discussing the benefits of role-playing. 

How do you set the scene for role-playing? By doing the following:

• Come up with a situation that you're trying to work on

• Find a counterpart, either a family member, friend or colleague

• Find a way to simulate the scenario you are working on

• Afterwards: do a debrief of how it went. 

Now you are more prepared for the next time!

Role-playing is a perfect example of how surgeons can improve their effectiveness inside and outside of the OR.

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

This week, we are welcoming onto the mini-Podcast Dr. Todd Swenning, Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California, and Medical Director for the Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences. Dr. Swenning will talk to us about the impact of networking and how it leads to collaboration, which in turn can have significant benefits for you and your patients.

How does he recommend starting to network? By doing the following:

• Being aware and open to building new positive relationships,

• Taking the step to meet others and build collaborations, take action,

• Following-up on the first step, and reach out to those new connections, to create a feedback loop. 

And I recommend to make these positive connections and then leverage them to help yourself and in turn, help yourself help others.

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Todd Swenning, he is actively involved in policy making and advocacy with the Orthopedic Trauma Association as well as the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.  Dedication to education has resulted in his teaching principles of trauma management and patient advocacy both nationally and internationally.  Research projects in both fracture and trauma management has laid the foundation for his passion for trauma and fracture prevention and preparedness.

It is a perfect example of how surgeons can be both effective in the theater and effective outside of it.