Performing in a harmonious group is a key characteristic in the success of athletes, musicians and surgeons. With this in mind, physicians at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston worked with members of the Choral Arts Society of Washington D.C. and the U.S. National Rowing Team to develop a new coaching model for training surgeons that draws on strategies from the musical and sports world.
Findings (subscription required) from the study were recently published in a special edition of the journal Surgical Clinics of North America. A release offers more details about the training approach:
It has been shown that deliberate practice is crucial to expert performance. Deliberate practice, which entails setting a well-defined goal, being motivated to improve and having ample opportunities for practice and refinement of performance through structured feedback, is a hallmark of this model.
The model also employs a coaching team that is well rehearsed in the day’s training procedure and is in constant communication so that trainees receive immediate correction when needed.
“Coaching teams not only are more efficient at communicating but also have been shown to make fewer mistakes in high-risk and high-intensity work environments, compared with individuals,” said [Kimberly Brown, MD, associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.] “This fact is of greater relevance when performance requires multiple skills, judgments and experiences.”
Brown said that when all of the coaches and learners are actively engaged throughout the training session, the other team members also contribute more to their highest capacity. This leads to a multiplying effect on the team as a whole, resulting in a team’s best possible performance.
Previously: Spanish-speaking families prefer surgical care in their native language, study finds, Clementines help surgeons-in-training to practice and Surgical checklists and teamwork can save lives
Photo by Army Medicine
