Creating an Optimal Learning Environment in the Operating Room: Lessons From the Soccer Field

Kathryn T Chen; Sharmila Dissanaike; Christian de Virgilio

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.05.002

Creating an Optimal Learning Environment in the Operating Room: Lessons From the Soccer Field

J Surg Educ. 2023 Aug;80(8):1053-1055. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 Jun 3.

Authors

Kathryn T Chen¹, Sharmila Dissanaike², Christian de Virgilio³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California. Electronic address: Kchen6@dhs.lacounty.gov.
² Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
³ Department of Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California.

PMID: 37271597
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.05.002

Abstract

For trainees, the operating room (OR) often represents an educational sanctuary, where for a few hours they can focus on their craft, rather than on phone calls, pages, and the never-ending task of electronic health record documentation. The OR provides a unique opportunity for unfettered one-on-one time with an attending surgeon at their side, where they can learn the art of surgery without interruption. It is vitally important to maximize learning in the OR, yet evidence suggests that it is not always an ideal educational environment. Considering the recent excitement over the World Cup soccer tournament (full disclosure: the senior author is an Argentine immigrant and soccer fan), in this article, we provide evidence-based ideas and suggestions on how to optimize learning in the OR using some analogies from the soccer field.

Keywords: Intraoperative teaching; Resident teaching; Surgery; Surgical education.

MeSH terms

Education, Medical, Graduate
Internship and Residency*
Learning
Operating Rooms
Soccer*