The adventure of affect: coping and learning with the uncertainty of clinical practice

The adventure of affect: coping and learning with the uncertainty of clinical practice

Arunthathi Mahendran, senior lecturer and transplant surgeon at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry

Surgery is a craft specialty: ‘doing’ in response to what is seen, felt and anticipated. The potent odours and the raw images of flesh, elicit strong sensations and responses in the here-and-now or ‘thisness’ (haecceities) of practice. These experiences, trigger a world of affects and senses that can disturb or rupture familiar or established ways of thinking and knowing. During this talk Arunthathi will discuss the affective conditions that emerge from disturbances in practice and their power to shape, construct and transform how professionals understand their practice and function within it.