Dr Ruth Vilayil
@ruthvmd
I help surgeons master the human & mental skills of surgery, so they can perform better under pressure AND enjoy their work. GYN Surgeon & OB. Clin Assoc Prof UBC, Dual 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 | Based in Canada | Opinions my own. SUBSCRIBE: patreon.com/RuthVMD
Kids’ camp dropoff day! They are loading onto the ferry and I am going back to be on call. A weird feeling.
We all carry mental maps into the OR. They help us make sense of complexity, anticipate what comes next, and act quickly. But the map is not the territory. When reality changes, our mental map needs to change too. 2/
One of the most dangerous moments in surgery is not when the plan stops working. It’s the moment AFTER that — when part of us is still emotionally stuck on it. • filtering out true info that doesn’t fit our story • treating a changing situation as if it were STILL the original one 1/
In the OR, teamwork is rarely built in one grand moment. It is built in the small things: ->using someone’s name ->asking for a pause when the room gets noisy or rushed ->closing the loop ->managing 'difficult' personalities without letting them dominate the culture ->building trust
Many treasured memories as host city for men’s #WorldCup2026 We’re number one! #beautifulBC www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
"We are all constantly 'co-regulating' one another...synchronizing heartbeats, changing moods, and helping one another feel seen and heard. " - Emily and Emilia Nagoski, "Burnout" Haaland and Bellingham showing how it's done. #WorldCup2026
Made it to a World Cup Match! Loving the global vibes. May the best team win! 🌍
One communication tool healthcare can borrow from negotiation is the Mirror Technique Late-night DJ voice → "I'm sorry..." → mirror → silence Ex: "I'm sorry... 'that's the way we've always done it'?" Then stop. 1/2
Love to hear the honking in the streets! Canada Strong #CANMNT #WorldCup2026
You can tell it’s World Cup season because on our bike ride, we came to a stop sign and 6 bellows out “STOPPAGE TIME!” #WorldCup #parenting
Our boys put in a valiant fight to the finish. It shows how far we have come in the beautiful game in my lifetime. #CANMNT
Watch party ready! Happy with my life choices to take the day off today. Go Canada! #MapleRidge #CANMNT
Cognitive load in surgery is rarely just an individual problem. It's distributed across the team: • The resident remembering the steps while trying not to look slow • The scrub nurse tracking counts, instruments, and timing • The attending operating, teaching, and anticipating what comes next 1/
I’m so happy that I’m alive I’m so happy I’m alive at the same time as Leo Messi #FIFA2026
“Second Victim Syndrome: The Silent Surgical Complication” talk was vulnerable, comprehensive, and deeply impactful. Dr. Hsiao helped shine a light on an often-unspoken reality of surgical practice: adverse events affect not only patients and families, but also the HCWs involved.
New role as Co-Chair, Excellence in Quality and Safety Committee - North orientation today. No more silos, quality is for everyone Excited for making care safer for all! #quality #patientsafety
A striking finding from Hsaio & Kopar's JACS 2024 paper on #SecondVictimSyndrome: 95% of surgeons surveyed found it helpful to talk with a trusted surgical colleague after adverse events. OBGYN Grand Rounds at UBC on this paper soon! #Surgery #PatientSafety #PhysicianWellness
Happy #socks4docs day! A medical career is a marathon, not a sprint. You deserve to enjoy it and be well. #physicianwellness www.crazysocks4docs.com.au
“Success in life may have more to do with how fast you can accept and get started on the new game than with how good you got at playing any of the old ones.” -David Allen #VUCA
VUCA is not just a military acronym. It is a useful description of modern clinical life. Many people respond to this by wishing things felt simpler, steadier, more predictable. Understandably so. But in healthcare, and especially in surgery, we do not get the luxury of waiting for certainty. 🧵
Great day at the UBC #GlobalSurgery Symposium. Inspired by the Master's students and faculty advancing global surgery through research, education, & advocacy. My key message from developing digital C-section training programs: design education for the learner, NOT just the educator. #MedEd
Structured tools can help. Not just SBAR, which may not capture the full complexity of handover. I-PASS has a body of evidence behind it:
Happy Global Surgery Day 2026. Global surgery is not something that happens “out there”. It’s everywhere there is unequal access to quality surgical care. #GSD26
