Ep. 326 Strategies for Surgical Training During High-Stakes Operations with Dr. Kelvin Moses

How can high-stakes surgical cases be optimized for teaching while ensuring patient safety and trainee growth? On this episode of BackTable Urology, Dr. Ruchika Talwar interviews Dr. Kelvin Moses about intentional strategies for surgical education, especially during complex urologic oncology operations. They discuss workflows that prioritize preoperative planning, structured debriefs, and progressive autonomy for trainees, as well as the importance of psychological safety and open communication with patients and families. --- Get the BackTable apphttps://www.backtable.com/app --- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction02:19 - Teaching In High Stakes Cases07:57 - Rethinking See One, Do One, Teach One10:24 - Assessing Trainee Readiness14:29 - Preop Preparation 16:06 - Teaching Cues in the OR 17:42 - Tips for Trainees21:40 - Intentional Teaching24:02 - Teaching Rare and Complex Cases26:40 - Anticipating Complications and Debrief After Disaster33:09 - Psychological Safety In the OR37:41 - Reflections on Past, Current, and Future Training Models43:56 - Patients And Trainees46:51 - Takeways --- More about this episode The conversation explores practical intraoperative teaching cues, tips for trainees such as visualization, recording cases, and repetition, and methods for relating rare cases to more common procedures. Dr. Moses reflects on the strengths and challenges of past, present, and future training models, including the debate over whether surgical education has gone “too soft.” The episode emphasizes the value of mentorship, transparency with patients, and the need to continually adapt surgical training for the next generation. --- BackTable Urology is the go-to podcast for urologists, urologic oncologists, and urogynecologists. Download the free BackTable app to get early access to new episodes, cases, and courses curated by physicians in your specialty. ► https://www.backtable.com/app