July 16, 2026

When Skill Isn't Enough

What happens to the surgeon after a patient experiences a devastating complication?Clinicians are trained to make life-or-death decisions, perform under extraordinary pressure, and remain calm when everything is at stake. But they are rarely taught how to process the emotional aftermath when an outcome goes wrong.In this live episode of Notes From the Edge, Lisa Lacy sits down with trauma and acute care surgeon, educator, author, and healthcare leader Dr. Daniel Eiferman for an honest conversation about the side of medicine most people never see.Dr. Eiferman is a tenured professor of surgery at The Ohio State University and a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. His book, Cut Open: A Surgeon’s Stories of Loss, Resilience, and Growth, explores the complications, difficult decisions, grief, leadership challenges, and moments of self-doubt that exist behind the operating-room doors.Together, we will explore:• Why clinicians often experience complications as personal failure• The psychological toll of a bad surgical outcome• How the culture of perfection creates shame and isolation• What it takes to rebuild confidence after failure• How clinicians can recover without becoming hardened or disengaged• What healthcare leadership owes the people working under relentless pressureThis conversation is not only for surgeons. It is for anyone who has worked in a high-stakes environment, experienced an outcome they could not entirely control, and quietly wondered whether they still belonged in the work.Dr. Eiferman will also share practical tools for clinicians who are expected to remain steady, even when they do not feel steady inside.Access his complimentary guide at:https://integritysurgery.org/signup/What did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the edge. Notes from the Edge with Lisa LacyHuman conversations about trauma, identity, recovery, reinvention, relationships, leadership, and the lives we build after survival.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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