Mental Skills Training to Make Your Average Performance Excellent: Participation in the Indiana University Mental Skills Curriculum

Friday, September 4, 2026, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Medical Education and Research Building, Indianapolis, IN


Stressful events are regularly encountered in the healthcare environment especially during surgical cases. Excessive stress has known negative effects on surgeons' performance, and such events may lead to poor technical (e.g., fine motor dexterity) and nontechnical (e.g., concentration, interpersonal and communication, etc.) performance and compromise patient safety. Mental skills are cognitive strategies that help individuals consistently achieve optimal performance under high-stress conditions. Programs that teach mental skills have been shown to enhance performance in athletics and the armed forces. Recently, our group has developed a novel, comprehensive mental skills curriculum (MSC) to optimize surgical performance. This curriculum, which features skills such as goal setting, energy and attention management, mental imagery, refocusing strategies, and performance routines, has been implemented successfully with pre-medical students and residents and effectively reduced learners’ stress, enhanced laparoscopic skill acquisition and retention, attention, and significantly better maintained surgical performance under stressful conditions. Attendees of this workshop will be taught our well-researched mental skills curriculum over a period of 8 hours. Through an engaging presentation, interactive discussion among attendees, and applied practice of mental skills throughout the entire workshop, learners will obtain the needed skills to reduce their stress during clinical performance and optimize their performance.

1. Identify how stress can impact health care providers’ performance
2. Discuss the rationale, benefits, and applications of mental skills training
3. Recognize the benefits of regular mental skills training
4. Acquire the following performance-enhancing mental skills: Goal Setting (developing action plans for performance), Energy Management (reducing or raising physiological state as needed), Attention Management (managing thoughts and attention, mindfulness), Mental Imagery (utilizing mental rehearsal for health care performance)

IU Health employees: $100 ; Other participants: $150

All cancellations must be received (7) days prior to the activity date for a full refund. If cancellation is made at least (24) hours prior to the activity date, a partial refund of 50% would be allowable. No refund is available for cancellations made after that point unless cause of cancellation is due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances. The date your request is received by our office will be considered the cancellation date. Requests received after the refund deadline will not be processed. 

For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations please contact the IUSM CME office at 317-274-0104 or [email protected]. One week advance notice will allow us to provide seamless access. Please ensure to specify the accommodations you need in order to participate.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (8.00 hours), ABS CC (4.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (8.00 hours)

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Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) policy ensures that those who have influenced the content of a CE activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies so that IUSM may identify relevant financial relationships and mitigate any relevant financial relationships prior to the activity. All educational programs sponsored by Indiana University School of Medicine must demonstrate balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor.

*Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) and ACCME defines an ineligible company as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.

To view any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity, please click the names below.  All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated in accordance with ACCME and the IUSM Conflict of Interest Policy.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Indiana University School of Medicine, Continuing Medical Education adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Friday, September 4, 2026