Ep. 238 Why Don't Surgeons Watch Game Film? Dr. Ritter talks video review and the future of training
Episode Summary
Can video review make better surgeons? Will artificial intelligence change the way surgeons are trained and certified?
In this episode of the BOSS Business of Surgery Series, Dr. Amy Vertrees sits down with Dr. Matt Ritter, a 30-year Air Force surgeon, former Program Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, current Program Director at Indiana University, and national leader in surgical education through SAGES.
Together, they explore the future of surgical training, video-based surgical assessment, and the growing role of AI in surgery.
Topics include:
- Why surgical competency may need more than a program director's final evaluation
- How video review can improve surgical performance and resident education
- The difference between formative feedback and high-stakes competency assessment
- Why video recording has been available for decades but remains underutilized
- The practical barriers to implementing video review in surgical practice
- How artificial intelligence may streamline surgical assessment while preserving expert judgment
- Whether robotic surgery and AI will eventually replace surgeons
- Lessons surgeons can learn from elite athletes who routinely review game film
Whether you're a medical student, surgery resident, practicing surgeon, residency program director, or surgical educator, this conversation offers an inside look at where general surgery education is headed—and what it means for the future of our profession.
If you've ever wondered how we should measure surgical skill, improve technical performance, or prepare the next generation of surgeons, this episode is for you.
About Dr. Matt Ritter
Dr. Matt Ritter is a general surgeon, former United States Air Force surgeon, former Program Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and current Program Director of the Indiana University General Surgery Residency Program. Through his leadership with the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), he is helping develop psychometrically rigorous video-based surgical assessment tools that may shape the future of competency-based surgical education.
In This Episode
- Surgical education
- General surgery residency
- Video review in surgery
- Surgical competency
- AI in surgery
- Robotic surgery
- Surgical coaching
- Residency training
- SAGES
- Competency-based medical education
- Technical skill assessment
- Deliberate practice
- Surgical performance improvement
