031: After The Mistake: Building A Culture That Learns

Mistakes and unexpected outcomes are an unavoidable part of doing complex medical work. But what happens after something goes wrong can have a powerful impact on the people involved—and the culture around them. In this episode of *The Veterinary Culture Lab*, Andi and Josh explore research on debriefing after adverse medical events in veterinary practice. The findings suggest that simply having a debrief isn’t enough. How those conversations happen matters, with higher-quality debriefing associated with greater psychological safety, professional fulfillment, and work engagement—and lower burnout. From shame and blame to curiosity and learning, Andi and Josh unpack what can make these conversations helpful rather than harmful and offer a practical framework veterinary teams can use when things go sideways. In this episode, we explore: - Why adverse medical events may be more common than the conversations that follow them - What separates a productive debrief from a blame session - How psychological safety and high-quality debriefing may reinforce one another - A simple framework for talking through what happened, what contributed, and what comes next - How every team member can help create a culture that learns when things go wrong Because mistakes don’t define a workplace culture nearly as much as what we do next. **Resource Links:**  Episode Article: *Title:* Well-executed debriefings conducted after adverse medical events are associated with psychological safety, work engagement, job fulfillment, and reduced burnout in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Volume 264: Issue 2 (2026) | AVMA Journals *Authors:* Lori R. Kogan PhD and Mark Rishnaw PhD *DOI:* Avail. As an open article at link above Resources to develop debrief facilitation skills: - Quick & Free: TALK Debrief Model - A bit more depth, a bit more investment: INFO BASICS Workshop - Master Debrief Facilitation: VetSafe Master (veterinary specific!) Florida Man - Bagels What Do You Think? Reach out to us and let us know at [Info@flourish.vet](mailto:Info@flourish.vet) **Your Hosts:** Andi Davison LVT, CAPP, APPC  Josh Vaisman MAPPCP, CCFP At Flourish Veterinary Consulting we renovate veterinary cultures. We diagnose what’s working, blueprint what’s next, and train every team member - blending positive psychology with real-world experience - so thriving becomes the norm, not the myth.  **Timestamps**  05:40 A Real Medical Error Story 07:57 What Usually Happens Next 11:38 Errors Are Culture Events 13:55 Study Overview and Stats 17:15 Debrief Quality Drives Outcomes 18:36 Key Caveats and Takeaways 26:45 Renovation One Clear Purpose 28:37 Four Fs Debrief Framework 32:36 Add a Fifth F 34:23 Everyone Can Carry Culture 36:05 Closing Culture Renovation