Veterinary Surgical Coaching is the veterinary edition of a concept and practice introduced into the human medical field for surgeons. Surgical Coaching utilizes a surgeon as an external pair of eyes and mind to enhance, accelerate or hone your skill level. An effective Surgical Coach is specially trained in the art and skills of advocating for you as someone with your best interest and improvement at the heart of their questions and input.
The Academy of Surgical Coaching (a human medical organization) trains surgeons to coach each other: peer coaching. While the concept of coaching may not be novel, the application to clinical practice most definitely is! Coaching is distinctly different from teaching or mentorship, which is the methodology typically used to formulate our clinical skills. Surgical Coaching does not focus on imparting new skills, as teaching does, but rather enhances existing skills. Surgical Coaching does not require one individual be technically supreme over the other. In fact, it explicitly steps away from a hierarchical attitude, frequently pairing surgeons from vastly different subspecialties to even the relationship. Surgical Coaching is intended to help surgeons climb in skill level beyond the plateau of average, at a much more rapid rate than autonomous practice achieves. When you reach a level where things feel comfortable, but you don’t feel as if you are continuing to improve, external insight and input can nudge you forward. Consider the professional athlete. Those that reach the top skill level in their field are consistently working with an individual challenging and coaxing them outside their typical practice. A Surgical Coach does exactly that for the surgeon! Veterinary Surgical Coaching is taking all the principles and training from the Academy of Surgical Coaching, and bringing it to you, the veterinarian! We face obvious differences from our human counterparts, including the expectation that all graduating veterinarians are competent to perform surgery upon graduation. We go on to have vastly different experiences in terms of guidance, confidence and mentorship when practicing surgery. While I am a specialty trained veterinary surgeon, I think that all veterinarians should have access and opportunity for Veterinary Surgical Coaching! I adhere to the principle of Surgical Coaching, in that Veterinary Surgical Coaching is a peer relationship between the coach and the individual being coached. In other words, I am not your teacher or your mentor. I am your advocate, facilitating solutions and considerations already within your capacity, but often not on a conscious level.
I work closely with the Academy of Surgeons, having been trained and qualified by them, am included in their pool of available Surgical Coaches, and am collaborating to create a formal Veterinary Academy of Surgical Coaching organization. I coach veterinarians, veterinary surgical specialists, and veterinary surgical teams to achieve their goals and reach the greatest quality of care possible, and provide RACE approved CE (in a socially distant format!) for our sessions. Coaching can be done in person, or remotely, for which I provide guidance and tips for videoing procedures of interest. If you are interested in working with me, reach out to helpatvetssmart@gmail.com
If you have more questions, visit our FAQ page! If your question isn’t answered there, reach out by e-mail- we’d love to chat!
If you are interested in references for Surgical Coaching:
Ted Talk by Dr. Atul Gawande: Want to get great at something? Get a coach.
Commentary on Surgical Coaching by Dr. Atul Gawande: Personal Best.
Book Rounds by VetSSMART: Performance
Research Publications:
The Continuum of Coaching: Opportunities for Surgical Improvement at all Levels, by Caprice Greenberg et al
Comprehensive Surgical Coaching Enhances Surgical Skill in the Operating Room: A Randomized Controlled Trial, by Esther Bonrath et al