Leveraging Coaching in Plastic Surgery: An Upgrade From See One, Do One, Teach One
Ogonna N Nnamani Silva1, Natalie B Baxter2, Ovya Ganesan3,4
1From the Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program, Boston, MA.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Coaching, beneficial in sports and business, offers personalized guidance to enhance plastic surgery skills and patient outcomes. This approach moves beyond traditional training for a more innovative surgical development process.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Training
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Coaching is widely recognized for its benefits in sports and business.
- Its application in medicine, especially plastic surgery, is currently underutilized.
- Evidence suggests coaching enhances performance through personalized guidance and feedback.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of coaching in plastic surgery.
- To identify how coaching can improve technical proficiency and skill acquisition for surgeons.
- To examine how coaching can lead to better patient outcomes in plastic surgery.
Main Methods:
- Drawing on evidence from sports and business coaching models.
- Analyzing the principles of effective coaching.
- Proposing integration of coaching into plastic surgery training.
Main Results:
- Coaching can accelerate skill acquisition in plastic surgeons.
- Personalized guidance and feedback enhance technical proficiency.
- Structured coaching approaches can improve patient outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Coaching offers a structured, innovative method to develop plastic surgeons.
- Integrating coaching principles can prepare surgeons for complex healthcare demands.
- Increased use of coaching in plastic surgery is recommended to optimize surgeon potential and patient care.