2026 Session Design Submissions

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      Negative sentiments toward surgery are not a novel concept, as concerns about lifestyle, hierarchy, and burnout have long been a part of conversations regarding surgical workplace culture. An overlooked aspect, however, is the amplification of these views in online discourse where surgeons themselves are notably absent. Across platforms such as Reddit, Twitter (X), and TikTok, discussions of surgical education and workplace culture are increasingly shaped by those outside the specialty, leaving undergraduate and medical students exposed to unbalanced and often discouraging portrayals. Compared to other specialties such as family medicine or pediatrics, online discourse surrounding surgery is statistically more negative and features significantly fewer attending surgeons contributing to the conversation. This gap not only reinforces stereotypes discouraging qualified candidates, but also deprives trainees of mentorship and insight into the meaningful, purpose-driven aspects of surgical life. For surgical educators, this trend marks both a warning and an opportunity, with online discourse and sentiments revealing not only how surgical culture is perceived, but also tangible ways to improve it.

      This workshop, titled "Beyond the Operating Room: Combating Online Misconceptions and Building Surgeon Representation," focuses on how surgical educators can understand, reframe, and proactively respond to the online discourse surrounding surgery. Participants will explore how digital sentiment can directly influence specialty choice, identity formation, and perceptions of surgical culture while also discussing strategies to serve as narrative stewards for the next generation.

      The session begins with a visual presentation drawn from research studies and sentiment analysis of how surgery is portrayed online. Through word clouds, sentiment maps, and anonymized online examples of trainee discussions, participants will gain a clear view of the recurring themes that fuel skepticism toward surgical careers. This framing sets the stage for collaborative work on how to transform these narratives into opportunities for advocacy, mentorship, and representation, highlighting powerful aspects of surgery absent due to the lack of representation.

      In breakout-group “strategy jams,” attendees will tackle realistic scenarios derived from online discourse and student feedback. Each group will seek to identify the underlying concerns reflected in their scenario, then practice reframing them into constructive, authentic messaging that highlights the realities of surgical practice such as teamwork, purpose, innovation, and patient impact. These activities will engage participants in developing both educational responses for trainees as well as public messaging strategies for broader online audiences.

      Groups will then participate in a “gallery walk” and live Delphi-style polling to prioritize the most effective reframed narratives and strategies. This will allow for a consensus “toolkit” surgeons can use to increase their online presence, navigate mentorship, and integrate positive storytelling into program culture and recruitment. Participants can bring this toolkit back to their institutions, empowering them to incorporate digital literacy and narrative awareness into their teaching and to model professional engagement online.

      Ultimately, the session moves beyond recognizing negativity, focusing on equipping surgical educators with the skills to ensure that the story of surgery is told by those who live it, not merely by those who comment on it.

45-minute workshop

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Identify and appraise the most common negative sentiments among medical students and from trainees online surrounding surgery and assess their potential impact on trainee perception/specialty choice

Differentiate between valid trainee concerns and distorted/exaggerated online portrayals to diagnose key areas where surgical educators can intervene

Develop and construct reframed, authentic messages that illustrate the values of surgical education

Formulate and implement mentorship and communication strategies that empower trainees to make informed career decisions and combat negative online sentiments regarding surgery

Collaboratively produce and prioritize action item plans including a messaging toolkit that participants can apply at their institutions to promote positive representation and balanced narratives about surgery in digital spaces