Become a Certified Physician Development Coach

“Our goal is to develop participants with advanced coaching skills and tools to more expertly address the challenges facing physicians. As an ICF-accredited coaching school, we are proud how our curriculum has evolved over the past fifteen years to reflect not only changes in healthcare that impact physicians, but also…who’s becoming a coach! Health systems are taking note that professional coaching is a must-have resource for their physicians in order to foster well-being and resilience—- research backs that up. It is truly gratifying to hear from our coach graduates about the impact they are having with clinicians in their community.”
— Francine Gaillour, MD, MBA, FAAPL, PCC, Founder and Executive Director of the Physician Coaching Institute

Program Overview

Our flagship Certified Physician Development Coach Pathway to Excellence offers a comprehensive professional coach training experience, providing participants with specialized coaching concepts, structures and tools to develop their expertise in the field of physician coaching. This certification tier is an 8-month learning journey open to clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals. On completion the coach earns the Certified Physician Development Coach™ recognition, offered exclusively by the Physician Coaching Institute. Certification is a demonstration of commitment to the field of professional coaching in healthcare and the desire to be a catalyst for transformation. On completion of the final tier, Pathway to Excellence, the student earns the ICF Level 1 Certificate, applicable to the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. [Cohort members who already hold an ACC or PCC may apply the earned coach education and mentor hours to the next level ICF credential via the ICF portfolio path.].

Cohort members in the Certified Physician Development Coach program are typically an accomplished and diverse group that may include physicians, nurses, healthcare C-suite executives, HR executives, allied health professionals, mental health professionals, healthcare industry executives, as well experienced coaches. Eighty percent of PCI members have at least Masters level education, with many at the PhD and Doctorate level. Over two-thirds of our graduates are physicians.

Participants in a cohort may be planning to become an internal coach for their health system. Others are planning to be an entrepreneur coach with their own coaching practice. Many are currently serving as healthcare leaders and want to advance from “informal coaching” to professional level coaching.

(Learn more about our coach training courses.)

Curriculum and Physician Coaching Proficiencies

We are Accredited by the International Coaching Federation

The Physician Coaching Institute’s Certified Physician Development Coach Pathway to Excellence Program provides students comprehensive coach training with the objective of developing professional coaching competencies across six Advanced Coaching Proficiency Areas (ACPA). A proficiency area encompasses of two or more Learning Modules that introduce coaching concepts and specific field-tested coaching tools to support physicians and advanced practice providers.

Each Learning Module consists of a live, interactive learning experience. Relevant reading resources, coaching practice and action plans accompany each module. Coaching skills practice and a Capstone Project round out the learning process. Detailed graduation requirements are outlined in the PCI Proficiency Portfolio.

	Advanced Coaching Proficiency Areas (ACPA)
	ACPA-1 Honing the ICF Coaching Core Competencies
	A deep dive of study, discussion, and practice for each of the ICF Eight Core Coaching Competencies; including demonstrations, buddy coaching, session recordings, observations, and mentor feedback.
	ACPA-2 Coaching Physician Fulfillment
	A 4-module exploration and practice of specific coaching tools. We first examine some of the data on fulfillment and morale, then develop expertise on values clarification, non-cognitive imaginal exploration, and finally using validated assessments. All of these tools in concert facilitate physician self-awareness and understanding of their interior landscape
	ACPA-3 Coaching the Physician Leader
	The focus of these three modulesare to coach the physician leader in three key areas: to be a change catalyst, to influence through emotional intelligence and authenticity, and to support teams and colleagues as they craft a culture of collaboration and high performance.
	ACPA-4 Coaching the Physician for Career Expansion and Resilience
	This discussion on physician career resilience covers several coaching topics that may arise for physicians wishing to better enjoy their career. It's vital to understand why career fulfillment is key to overall physician satisfaction and how to introduce specific physician career tools that will help them think more expansively.
	ACPA-5 Coaching Physician Personal Growth and Transformation
	Physicians entering into a coaching journey are poised for living and leading from the inside out. An important early coaching structure is to help them verbalize, articulate and embody an authentic personal intention. In these modules we introduce three evidence-supported coaching structures that are useful for improving physician satisfaction and performance.
	ACPA-6 Designing Coaching Programs for Physicians
	Learning how to develop a formal structure and well-defined program scope is important to support certainty and co-create trust. Several Coaching Program templates are introduced, each containing elements and structures that comprise different coaching program purpose and time arc.

Preparing You to Earn an ICF Coaching Credential

The ICF has several application paths for earning an ICF coaching credential. Graduates of our Certified Physician Development Coach Pathway to Excellence program will use the Level 1 Path for their application. The vast majority of our Certified Physician Development Coach graduates who go on to apply for an ICF coaching credential will apply for the first tier credential, the Associate Certified Coach (ACC). Some of our students, however, already hold an ICF ACC or PCC coach credential when they enroll in a cohort; therefore they will use their our coach training hours towards the next higher ICF credential, PCC or MCC through the ICF Portfolio Path.

When you complete our full program starting with the first tier, Healthcare Peer Coaching Fundamentals, you will earn up to 98 coaching-specific training hours. You will also receive the required 10 required Mentor Coaching hours and will take a final Performance Evaluation See the table here:

Earning the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) Credential

ICF Application Requirements for the ACC credential:	Physician Coaching Institute support:	Comments:
60 hours coaching-specific training approved by the ICF	Earn up to 98 ICF-approved coaching-specific training hours	- 15 hours from Healthcare Peer Coaching Fundamentals - 83 hours from Certified Physician Development Coach
10 Hours Mentor Coaching	10 Hours Mentor Coaching: - 7 hours group Mentor Coaching - 3 hours individual Mentor Coaching	PCI Mentors are PCC and MCC credentialed coaches
Knowledge Exam	Core competencies Discussion, Case Studies review, and Ethics Module	PCI Graduate and PCC coach is a PCI Knowledge Exam Mentor
Performance Exam	Students who pass our Performance Evaluation earn the ICF Level 1 Certificate	PCI Senior Mentors are designated Assessors who have completed the rigorous ICF PCC Marker Assessor Training
100 Experience hours	PCI arranges coaching circles for graduates	Most grads who are active with coaching after graduation will accumulate the client hours within 12 -18 months

Faculty and Program Delivery

The certification cohort begins their journey with a 2-day Kickoff. Workshop style, the Kick-off provides an opportunity for immersive advanced coaching skills practice facilitated by our expert coach instructors. The 2-day Kick-off serves as a forum to build collegiality and co-create trust among cohort members. Following the Kick-off, the cohort meets as a group twice a month via 90-minute live online webinars over six months. Cohort members arrange their assigned buddy coaching sessions and field work between modules. Integrated into the program are Mentor Coach Sessions and Coaching Gyms which provide an opportunity to be observed and receive feedback from mentor coaches. A major milestone in the learning journey is the 2-day Capstone and Coach Enrichment Project presentations. The final milestone is the Integration Phase, a 2-month period after the Capstone where complete the coaching final Performance Evaluation, the last step in the PCI Pathway to Excellence. Upon passing the Performance Evaluation, they earn the PCI Level 1 Certificate. From Kickoff to Capstone, over the 6 months the cohort learns together, coaches together, and experience a transformational journey. Between the Capstone and Integration webinar, this three month period is a time to complete final requirements including the final Performance Evaluation.

Our senior faculty team members hold an ICF credential at the PCC or MCC level. Also on our instructor team are several experienced PCI grad clinician coaches who have achieved the ACC and PCC credential.

Language used: English

Training is conducted by live video-conference (Zoom).

Earning the Certified Physician Development Coach™ credential

Students develop proficiency by practicing new coaching tools and demonstrating coaching insights. To earn our full Certified Physician Development Coach ertification and the ICF Level 1 Certificate, the student must successfully complete the PCI Proficiency Portfolio and the final Performance Evaluation. The first element of the PCI Proficiency Portfolio are the Buddy Coaching exercises with cohort members; formal coaching assigned throughout the 6-month Certification program. The second element of the PCI Proficiency Portfolio is participation in cohort live webinars, including required pre-work and field work. Mentor coach sessions are the third element; these are in groups and 1-to-1 with PCI Mentors. The fourth element is the Coach Enrichment Project, which is presented at the Capstone.

Graduation from the full Certified Physician Development Coach Pathway to Excellence, and earning the Level 1 Certificate reflect the student’s achievement and character:

Coach has completed all elements of the the PCI Proficiency Portfolio to earn the Certified Physician Development Coach designation
Coach has passed the formal coaching Performance Evaluation to earn the ICF Level 1 Certificate
Coach has demonstrated a commitment to improving the professional effectiveness and personal well-being of physicians and advanced practice providers
Coach has demonstrated a commitment to the values of the Physician Coaching Institute: Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism and Collegiality

The Certified Physician Development Coach™ designation is granted exclusively by the Physician Coaching Institute.

The International Coaching Federation has accredited the Physician Coaching Institute as a Level 1 provider of coaching education. Our full Certified Physician Development Coach™ Pathway to Excellence program provides 98 hours of coaching-specific education: 15 in our Healthcare Peer Coaching Fundamentals, and 83 in the Certified Physician Development tier.

Tuition, Training Dates and Enrollment Process

Tuition for the Certified Physician Development Coach – Pathway to Excellence 6-month course is $12,500. Save $500 with Early Enrollment.

We lead two training cohorts each year, in Fall and Spring. The next training kickoff dates are:

Important Enrollment Dates for the Next Cohort

Fall 2025 Cohort Program Start Date:
Early Enrollment Date ($500 tuition savings)	June 20, 2025	Early Savings Tuition: $12,000
Regular Enrollment Date (enrollment closes)	July 18, 2025	Regular Tuition: $12,500
Late Enrollment (waitlist opens)	July 21, 2025	Regular Tuition: $12,500
Cohort start date	Kickoff is Sept 6 - 7, 2025
Tuition includes a $300 non-refundable Enrollment Fee
Cancellation Fee applies after Regular Enrollment Tuition Due Date

Tuition Credit and Group Savings:

If you have registered for or completed our foundation tier, the Healthcare Peer Coaching Fundamentals™ course, a $200 credit will be applied to tuition.

Organizations enrolling multiple participants should contact the Executive Director to discuss additional group savings.

Enrollment Process:

Candidates are requested to first attend live online via zoom or review a recorded Information Webinar (see form below).
Candidates must submit an Application and Arrange a 30-minute Enrollment Interview with the Executive Director. Our objectives are to learn more about your professional background and coaching aspirations, explore the outcomes you want to achieve from participation in the training, and guide you in meeting the enrollment prerequisites if you don’t already (see Prerequisites and Eligibility below).
Once accepted, you will be invited to enroll in an upcoming cohort. Enrollment is confirmed upon payment of Payment of Tuition Fee, provided space is still available (see Important Enrollment Dates above)
Candidates must agree to our Enrollment, Certification, Tuition and Cancellation Policy.

Prerequisites and Eligibility

Candidates for the Certified Physician Development Coach Pathway to Excellence tiers must meet the following criteria before enrollment:

You must have completed at least 15 hours of foundational level coach training through a school accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Coaching foundation training is offered by the Physician Coaching Institute through the Healthcare Peer Coaching Fundamentals foundation course. If you completed coaching foundation through another ICF-accredited school, you may meet this prerequisite. Contact us to discuss.
If you have already earned an ICF ACC or PCC coach credential, you meet the prerequisite of having completed a coaching foundation course and may apply.
Participants must be open to a cohort learning format which requires active participation and engagement in a supportive, non-hierarchical manner.
Participants are expected to honor the Physician Coaching Institute values of honesty, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality.