screenshot of OP teaching online

Last week: case-based ectopic pregnancy teaching with the VitalSurg program, collab with UBC & MSF, for non-surgeon docs in South Sudan.
Cases: the kind that don’t read the textbook 🙂
Focus on: #nontechnicalskills

→ Imaging ≠ intraop findings
→ “Straightforward” → surprise
→ Plan changes fast 1/3

Nontechnical skills help teams recognize, share, and design around mental load.
Move from “Why can't you handle more?” to “How can we distribute the load for safer care?”

#NonTechnicalSkills #CognitiveLoad #SurgicalEducation #PatientSafety #Teamwork

This model can make it more financially sustainable too!
#MedEd #NonTechnicalSkills

Reputation capital: The stories told about you when you’re not in the room
The trust you’ve built with nurses, anesthesiologists, trainees and referring docs

How are you sharing yours this week? 3/3

#SurgicalLeadership #Mentorship #WeCulture #NonTechnicalSkills #CultureChange

"Silence Can Kill": Strengthening Surgical Teamwork to Save Lives in Nakuru, Kenya — The Global Surgery Foundation "Silence can kill." In Nakuru County, a new simulation training program is teaching healthcare teams not just how to operate, but how to communicate when seconds count. Discover how the SURGfund-s...

Celebration of #nontechnicalskills for surgeons training!
#SpeakUp and #ListenUp is a trainable skill, and it saves lives.
#GlobalSurgery
www.globalsurgeryfoundation.org/news/2026/st...

Building on the important work of Abahuje Egide, I argue that skillful non-technical behaviours (leadership, planning ahead, situational awareness) actually IMPROVE OR efficiency and bottom-line metrics, not hinder them. 2/2
#surgicaleducation #nontechnicalskills #surgsky

That’s what surgeons do every day in the OR.
It’s not luck. It’s a skill. And it can be trained.

I post mental & interpersonal skills for surgeons' content.
If you're interested in such posts:
Follow me here or on linkedin
Repost the post to help spread the ideas
#NonTechnicalSkills
3/3

Dr Jane Lea on Surgical coaching can be an effective means of improving technical & #nontechnicalskills at all career stages
#NTS have a huge impact on surgical outcomes
At DA Boyes #ObGyn Clinical Review

Excited to read this! #nontechnicalskills #SurgSky #DecisionMaking #clinicalreasoning

Picture of workshop team with ICRE electric letters

Selfie of OP with canmeds flower

Can confirm, improv is fun and brings learning along with it! Thanks #ICRE2025 for having us
#nontechnicalskills #medicalimprov

Pic of conference panel

Situational awareness = more than noticing.
It’s about revising your mental model as things change and understanding others’ perspectives.
Loved exploring this in today’s #ICRE2025 SimTrek session. #MedEd #Simulation #Nontechnicalskills

Confidence and comfortable aren’t throwaway words

Dr Darlene Balmer on stories as teachers- “dealing with the unexpected “ is a CORE skill not a soft skill!
Why I believe #improv can be such a powerful #MedEd tool #Nontechnicalskills
#CHES2025

slide of Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons categories - Situational Awareness, Decision Making, Communication & teamwork,Leadership

selfie of OP and Amy Shostak

If you’re curious about how improv can make surgeons better teammates, leaders, and clinicians, follow along and share with a friend. 5/5

#SurgicalEducation #MedEd #NontechnicalSkills #Surgery #Improv #PatientSafety

I must say it’s also a master class in #situationalawareness to bring all your surgical equipment and anaesthesia with you ! #globalsurgery #nontechnicalskills

Stay tuned for updates on our Medical Improv in #SurgicalEducation project — exploring how communication, teamwork, and flexibility shape surgical excellence.

Excellence in surgery isn’t just technical — it’s mental and interpersonal.

#MedicalImprov #SurgerySky #NonTechnicalSkills

a woman with red hair is sitting in a crowd of people and says ew feelings . ALT: a woman with red hair is sitting in a crowd of people and says ew feelings .

In surgery, skill with a scalpel matters.
But so does skill with your own emotions.
“Emotion regulation”= noticing, labelling, and modifying one’s emotions.

👉 This skill is crucially important for performance/longevity in surgery and CAN improve

#NontechnicalSkills #SurgSky

#NonTechnicalSkills

7/ Which decision-making mode do you find yourself using most often in the OR?
👇 Curious to hear from you!
#NontechnicalSkills #NTS #SurgSky

That’s how you build the muscle to take on bigger, harder cases, again & again.

Enjoy the work. Enjoy the OR.
That’s how you get stronger.
That’s how you get better. 2/2

#SurgSky #NonTechnicalSkills #GrowthMindset

Doctors and educators MUST get better at the art of ethical persuasion.
#MedSky #Nontechnicalskills

Selfie of OP and Ugandan surgical registrar Dr

Great to catch up with a mentee surgical registrar while in Kampala. Inspiring chat about all things #SurgicalEducation #GlobalSurgery #SurgicalSafety and #NonTechnicalSkills. Thanks Dr Brian!

💯 Nontechnical Skills like teamwork are crucially important and CAN improve
#nontechnicalskills
#SurgSky

6/
Teaching PACE and other graded assertiveness tools shifts the culture.

We stop equating silence with agreement.
We start treating speaking up as an act of care.

#SurgicalEducation #SpeakUp #PACE #NonTechnicalSkills #ORLeadership #PsychSafety

✅ It warns, not threatens
✅ Builds a golden bridge to retreat
✅ Helps prevent harm and protect relationships

💡 Try teaching #CUSS at your next Grand Rounds or M&M.
Let’s normalize tools that make speaking up work for everyone.

#SurgSky #MedEdSky #NonTechnicalSkills #SpeakUp #Leadership

We started in ‘97 and we are still active in learning and using HeartMath’s resources.

It’s was our pleasure to be part of the “Add Heart” podcast +💚

@heartmath-official.bsky.

www.heartmath.com/addheartpodc...

#EmotionalResilience #HumanSkills #NonTechnicalSkills #HeartCoherence #Possibilities

🧵1/
Ever had that sinking feeling after a case didn’t go to plan?
Not because of the technique
…but because something was off in the room?
Same.
And this @canjsurg.ca x @cmpa-acpm.ca podcast episode nails it. 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mkw...
#SurgicalSafety #MedEdSky #NontechnicalSkills

Hear hear!
#besties #patientsafety #teamwork
#nontechnicalskills

Changing culture isn’t easy.
It’s slow.
It’s uncomfortable.
It can be an uphill battle.

But I will never stop working toward a future where it is safe to speak up and surgeons are expected to listen up. 4/4

#PsychologicalSafety #SpeakUpListenUp #NonTechnicalSkills #SurgSky #BookSky

Surgery, not unlike spaceflight, is about preparation, teamwork, humility, and focus under pressure.

Do you agree?

Thanks to @cmdr-hadfield.bsky.social Chris Hadfield
for sharing lessons learned. Highly recommend the book!
#nontechnicalskills #mentalskills #SurgicalEducation

a man wearing a hat with the words keep your eyes open above him Alt: a man wearing a hat with the words keep your eyes open below him

Surgery is the same.
Routine can flip to not-routine in a heartbeat.
Mental models matter. Slow down when you should. Adapt. Stay alert.

#SurgSky #NonTechnicalSkills #Mindset #PatientSafety #GlobalSurgery