Psychological safety is the concept that an individual will not be penalized or humiliated for making mistakes, voicing ideas, or asking questions. In doing so, interpersonal risk is reduced in the workplace. Research in this area was pioneered within the fields of industry and business but has significant impact within our field of healthcare. A culture of psychological safety is imperative for physician well-being and satisfaction, which in turn directly impacts patient safety, quality, and outcomes. The work required to achieve a culture of psychological safety relies on both high-level organizational input as well as a conscientious effort on the part of the individual healthcare provider. This panel defines psychological safety as it relates to otolaryngology – head and neck surgery and examines its critical role in patient safety and quality improvement. We will present strategies for creating a psychologically safe environment and will highlight factors that can promote or threaten the culture. Conflict management, microaggressions, and organizational accountability will be highlighted, along with the importance of emotional intelligence as it relates to psychological safety.