29/08/2026
Earlier today, one of our SCOPE participants was asking me how difficult her case was.
I simply told her, “You can manage it.”
After the surgery, I told her, “Actually, that was a really difficult case.”
We both laughed.
She asked why I didn’t tell her how difficult it was from the beginning.
The answer is simple.
Sometimes, we put limits on ourselves based on how difficult we think something is.
If I had told her right away, “This is a very difficult case,” there was a chance that fear would come first before her ability. She might have doubted herself before even trying.
But with proper guidance, preparation, and education, people are capable of doing things they once thought were beyond them.
I don't want to hinder someone's potential by putting a label on the difficulty of a case.
I want them to experience difficult cases.
Not to make them feel invincible, but to humble them.
Because every difficult case should teach you something. It should teach you to prepare better, to respect the anatomy, to anticipate complications, to know your limitations, and to never underestimate the next patient who sits in your chair.
That's what I want SCOPE to be about.
I don't want to teach people how to be confident.
I want to teach them how to be humble enough to prepare, brave enough to try, and wise enough to respect every surgical case they encounter.
Confidence can come from experience.
But humility is what makes experience valuable.
And sometimes, you just have to let someone discover for themselves that they are capable of more than they thought.
-Dr. Stahl
*cases done by participants
