Leadership and Emotional Control in Medical Practice: A Look at the “Day-to-Day” of a Surgeon

The medical profession is, by nature, demanding, characterized by long working hours, situations of high physical and emotional pressure, and the constant weight of decisions that result in life or death. It is a profession that requires doctors to give their all, even when emotionally affected by personal issues. It demands compassion, dignity, love for others, and respect for human life.

Being a surgeon requires, beyond the aforementioned, a unique blend of technical skill, clinical knowledge, and emotional strength. While precision and proficiency are essential, the ability of a surgeon to maintain emotional control during complex procedures and damage control surgeries can be equally critical.

The surgeon is almost always, by the nature of this specialty and by the inherent nature of their functions, the leader of their clinical team (except in cases where there is another more experienced surgeon who should occupy that position). This opinion piece will help to understand the importance of emotional control in surgical practice, the role of the surgeon as the leader of the surgical team, and how a surgeon’s emotional intelligence can influence not only the outcome of a particular procedure but the overall performance of a medical team.

The Importance of Emotional Control

Emotional control is defined as the ability to maintain the correct balance between pleasant and unpleasant feelings, at least most of the time, so that we can achieve adequate mental well-being. Being constantly exposed to environments of illness and death is a huge challenge for any healthcare professional, especially for the surgeon. This challenge is even greater when this professional cares for chronic patients and others who, due to the nature of their clinical condition, frequently visit the hospital and inevitably develop a bond of friendship with those who care for their health. Thus, good emotional control is indispensable for surgical practice and assists in the following areas:

• Surgical Decision-Making: Surgeons must make quick decisions, often life-or-death, in high-pressure situations. Emotional disturbances such as anxiety or panic can impair judgment and lead to serious, sometimes fatal, errors. A calm and composed surgeon is better equipped to assess the situation, identify the problem, and develop an action plan for themselves and their entire team.
• Communication: Effective communication is essential in the operating room. An emotionally controlled surgeon is more likely to communicate clearly and concisely with the surgical team, reducing the risk of misunderstandings and errors that can lead to complications and death.
• Team Morale: The emotional state of a surgeon can have a significant impact on the morale of the surgical team. A calm and confident surgeon can instill confidence and boost team morale, which is essential for satisfactory outcomes.
• Patient Safety: A surgeon who is emotionally controlled is less likely to make mistakes that could compromise the life of their patient. Emotional distress and panic can lead to technical or decision-making errors during critical moments of surgical interventions, which can result in serious consequences for the patient.

The Surgeon as the Team Leader

The surgeon is the leader of the surgical team. As such, they bear the responsibility of ensuring that the procedure is performed safely and effectively. The emotional control of the surgeon is essential for effective leadership, especially in the following aspects:

• Work Environment: The surgeon’s behavior sets the tone for the operating room. A calm, confident, and open surgeon can create a positive and productive atmosphere, while an anxious or agitated surgeon can create a tense and stressful environment.
• Team Organization: Organizing a surgical team and distributing tasks are essential for efficient and safe surgery. An emotionally controlled surgeon can delegate tasks appropriately and trust team members to perform them effectively.
• Conflict Resolution: Conflicts can arise in the operating room, even among the most experienced team members. An emotionally controlled surgeon can resolve conflicts calmly and diplomatically, preventing them from escalating and compromising the outcome of the surgery.
• Complication Management: Surgical procedures can be unpredictable, and complications can arise at any moment. An emotionally stable surgeon can remain calm and focused in the face of adversity, making necessary adjustments and taking appropriate measures to ensure a favorable outcome.

Strategies for Maintaining Adequate Emotional Control

While it may not always be possible to completely eliminate stress and anxiety in the operating room, there are several strategies that surgeons can use to maintain their emotional control:

• Preparation: Thorough preparation for a procedure can help reduce anxiety and stress. Surgeons should review the patient’s medical history, study the recommended surgical technique for that pathology, make necessary adjustments for that specific case, anticipate potential complications, and develop an action plan.
• Concentration: Concentration techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, and others, can help surgeons stay present and focused.
• Physical Exercise: Regular physical exercise can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being, not only for the surgeon but for the entire clinical team.
• Support Systems: Surgeons should have a strong support system, including family, friends, and colleagues. Talking to others about the challenges of surgical practice can help reduce stress and improve emotional resilience.

Emotional Intelligence, Responsibility, and the Role of a Leader

The life of a surgeon is marked by a constant dilemma between the hope of saving lives and the reality of mortality. The decisions that this group of professionals is forced to make daily in their practice can profoundly impact their lives, their patients’ lives, and their families.

In a somewhat simplistic analysis, one might even joke that an experienced surgeon, from an emotional perspective, is nothing more than a collection of victories and defeats, successes and failures, joys and sorrows, achievements and disappointments, smiles and tears—indelible marks of the good and bad choices they were forced to make throughout their careers under the greatest of pressures, which is having, for “brief moments,” in their hands the fate and life of another human being, their fellow being.

This clinical leadership, innate to surgeons, requires a high sense of responsibility, gradually transforming into an emotional burden that each surgeon must learn to bear. And it is precisely the weight of this burden that gradually shapes this human being and makes them a surgeon, teaching them, as a young person, to be less reckless, to be more cautious, to seek support from more experienced colleagues, and not to let the death of the first patient of the day prevent them from helping the other scheduled patients. It is, on one hand, the tears in the eyes of a mother who hoped to hug her child again after a traffic accident, and on the other hand, the joy of a child receiving their mother back into the family fold after a long battle against breast cancer that builds the surgeon.

This text illustrates a bit of the emotional turmoil that is the “day-to-day” of a surgeon, the challenges they are forced to face throughout their careers, and the importance of their emotional health for their patients’ lives. The surgeon’s emotional intelligence and control enable the entire medical team to function effectively and efficiently, allowing hospitals worldwide to fulfill their noble purpose of saving lives.

“…I will exercise my art with consciousness and dignity…” in Hippocratic Oath