Strengthening your surgical hand: Strengths-based profiling and coaching of surgical trainees

As scientific and professional disciplines, medicine and surgery have a tendency to focus on deficiencies, namely what trainees do not know or are not good at doing. The philosophy of Positive Psychology and the notion of “Strengths” takes a different stance. It is an inherently positive process, seeing each trainee as an individual bringing a unique set of strengths to every situation. There is clear evidence from the commercial sector regarding improved performance and well-being when focusing on one’s strengths. We were therefore keen to investigate its potential role in the global development of trainee surgeons.

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