Non Technical Skills for Surgeons

This course is being convened by Professor GG Youngson and Professor KG Walker.  The course is aimed primarily at Consultants from all surgical specialties.

Learning Style

Participants are sent reading material prior to attending the course. The one-day course gives participants practical experience of observing and rating non-technical behaviours.  The format is centred on small group work and the use of simulated scenarios from the operating theatre and other industries.

Aims and Objectives

Technical skills are, of themselves, inadequate to ensure optimal outcome following surgery. This course aims to address the non-technical skills that are the essential cognitive and interpersonal aspects of operative surgery underpinning technical actions and optimising and enhancing the performance of individual surgeons and through them, the surgical team.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of non-technical skills and error management to surgical performance.
• Observe and discuss examples of good and poor behaviours in the operating theatre.
• Use a taxonomy of non-technical skills
• Rate behaviours using the NOTSS rating scale
• Provide structured feedback to trainees/other consultant surgeons based on observations.
• Discuss how non-technical failures can lead to poor clinical outcomes

For more information and registration see the College website