Summary

Dr. Amy Vertrees presented a comprehensive discussion on 'Swimming with Sharks 2.0', exploring the metaphor of surgery and surgical environments as shark-infested waters. She explained how surgeons are often perceived as sharks, and how this perception has been perpetuated in medical culture. Dr. Vertrees, a general surgeon in private practice, author of 'Become the Boss MD', and certified coach, drew from a 1974 article about swimming with sharks to create modern lessons for navigating surgical environments. She emphasized the importance of understanding both sharks and human nature, discussing how people respond to stress through fight, flight, flee, or fawn responses. The presentation covered strategies for protecting oneself in challenging environments, managing negative emotions, and developing self-compassion. Dr. Vertrees also introduced her year-long Boss Surgeons program, which helps surgeons develop professional and personal growth strategies.

Chapters

00:00:02Introduction to Swimming with Sharks 2.0

Dr. Amy Vertrees introduces the concept of 'Swimming with Sharks 2.0', explaining how surgery is metaphorically like swimming with sharks, where surgeons are perceived as sharks in a dangerous environment.

00:02:11Understanding Sharks and Human Nature

Dr. Vertrees draws parallels between sharks and human behavior, explaining how both respond to environmental triggers and have the capacity for both harm and cooperation.

00:05:08Managing Stress Responses and Emotions

Discussion of the motivational triad and different stress responses (fight, flight, flee, or fawn), emphasizing the importance of understanding personal stress reactions in surgical environments.

00:08:16Strategies for Swimming with Sharks

Dr. Vertrees presents various strategies for navigating challenging professional environments, including anticipatory retaliation and managing coordinated attacks.

00:47:28The Boss Surgeons Program Overview

Introduction to the year-long Boss Surgeons program, covering five categories including difficult colleague management, complications handling, power negotiating, clinic efficiency, and personal development.

Action Items

00:56:28Dr. Vertrees will upload the presentation to a landing page and send out the replay link by email 00:49:21Participants in the Boss MD program should prepare their goodbye letter to their 2024 self 00:52:59Interested participants can sign up for the Boss Surgeons program at bosssurgery.com with a $1,000 discount 00:50:17Dr. Vertrees will implement more flexible meeting times based on poll results in the Facebook group 00:59:23Participants should contact Dr. Vertrees at [email protected] or through Facebook for program questions