Eyeworld

32 | EYEWORLD | FALL 2026 ASCRS NEWS challenge yourself to learn something new," he said. "Even if you only focus on one particular surgery, there are so many different things you can learn. Make sure that you're constantly trying to figure out what's going to be the best for your patients and trying to incorporate that because that's going to push you to be a better surgeon and physician for your patient." We could always use more physicians who have a passion for teaching, Dr. Verkade said. Physicians might have a misconception that they aren't good at teaching or may not be good mentors. "But I think it's so important for us as physicians to contribute to teaching our next generation of surgeons. It's so beneficial for our trainees to get a broad experience, learning different styles and approaches from as many mentors as possible." She added that there are many different opportunities for physicians to share their skills and job experiences with young surgeons who need career guidance or life guidance in general. important to celebrate the successes. As a trainee, it can be hard to bounce back from a bad case, but trying to focus on some positives, as well as what can change for the next time, is something she tries to keep consistent. "My hope is that my trainees carry that into their careers and learn how to bounce back." Dr. Verkade noted that society meetings are great places to learn and rub shoulders with people at other institutions. She finds that peo- ple are open to discussion and giving advice for those who seek it. Dr. Pasricha said he also continues to learn new things every day, particularly from watch- ing videos. "There are a lot of great ways to learn. I think gone are the days when we turn to a textbook as our first reference," he said. "I think most of us now go to videos, and so if I want to try a new technique, that's the first place I start." "I think the key is to never stop learning," Dr. Pasricha said. "Every year, at the very least, continued from page 31

• Cover