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
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
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
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
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
The win goes not to the ones who know the most, but to the ones who adapt to reality the fastest. 6/6
#MentalModels #NontechnicalSkills #SurgSky #MeanGirls