Learning techniques an ongoing process for ophthalmic surgeons
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ORLANDO — Learning new techniques should be a constant throughout a surgeon’s career, and the best way to do so is to practice and work at being a better surgeon, according to a speaker here.
“When you think about how much time you spend in residency vs. how much time we spend in the rest of our career, most of the stuff we learn is going to be outside the confines of residency, so we have to be able to learn,” Thomas A. Oetting, MD, said at Cataract Surgery: Telling It Like It Is.
Surgeons should build skills slowly rather than jumping in completely. Oetting used MIGS procedures and the Omni (Sight Sciences) technique as examples of how to do this. For MIGS, a surgeon must learn how to use the prism and viscoelastic before learning other portions of the procedures, whereas with Omni, a surgeon must learn to use the lens first.
Finding coaches to help throughout the process is important, he said. However, those coaches do not have to be in the operating room.
“It’s very important for you to get people who you can contact and be in touch with when you’re thinking of a new technique,” Oetting said. “It can be a listserv with alumni or ASCRS or another organization. You need to have some mechanism where you can get coaching.”
Surgeons can also find individuals who have written papers on the technique and contact them in order to find out if they have learned more since publishing or presenting their paper.
A simulated eye will allow surgeons to practice new techniques in their own operating rooms with their own equipment, and at about $50, it is a relatively low-cost tool.
“It is a super high-fidelity way to try things out. It’s a real game changer,” Oetting said.
Finally, Oetting suggested bringing another anterior segment surgeon in the room when beginning a new technique.
“It doesn’t matter if they’ve done it before. Just have someone that’s got some experience,” he said. – by Rebecca L. Forand
Reference:
Oetting TA. Five quick tips on learning a new technique. Presented at: Cataract Surgery: Telling It Like It Is; Feb. 12-16, 2020; Orlando.
Disclosure: Oetting reports no relevant financial disclosures.