Episode
Ep. 113 Managing Surgical Complications with Surgical Coaching & Emotional Resilience with Dr. Joseph Chen
- Podcast
- BackTable Women's Health
- Published
- Apr 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3049
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/BTL6013076640.mp3
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Summary
What if we trained surgeons to recover from complications, not just avoid them? In this BackTable OBGYN episode, Dr. Joseph Chen, a complex benign gynecologic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente and certified surgical coach, joins host Dr. Nicole Faulkner to explore how surgeons process and recover from complications. --- Get the BackTable app https://www.backtable.com/app --- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction01:15 - Dr. Chen’s Origin Story06:34 - Coaching Framework08:08 - Second Victim Phenomenon10:10 - Four Phases Of Stress15:07 - Managing OR Chaos19:22 - Delegation as Surgeons22:11 - Peer Review Programs25:09 - How Coaching Programs Work30:52 - Timeline After Complications33:16 - Avoiding The Advice Trap35:37 - Debriefing With Residents40:51 - Future of Coaching and AI47:13 - Resolution of Complic --- More about this episode Dr. Chen reflects on a serious complication during his fellowship that exposed an “emotional gap” in surgical training beyond technical solutions. This experience shaped his focus on psychological safety, crisis-management frameworks, and supportive coaching. He outlines the phases following an adverse event, from the initial chaos and cognitive overload to reflection, identity challenges, and resolution. Do these factors influence whether one experiences burnout, survival or growth. This episode also recommends practical strategies such as focused breathing, effective delegation, and simulation training to improve performance under pressure. Dr. Chen discusses the “second victim” phenomenon, reviews data on surgeons’ emotional responses after complications, and emphasizes the importance of allowing time before debriefing. They advocate for peer support, non-punitive systems, and coaching programs to improve surgeon well-being, patient safety, and operat…