Coaching in Medical Academia: Four Distinct Groups
Of the many niche coaching areas our students and graduates focus on, medical academia may be the most diverse. Medical academia encompasses a broad community with at least four distinct groups, each with different needs for and expected benefits from coaching.
These four groups are: a) medical students, b) residents, c) fellows, and d) faculty.
Drawing from our experience and from our PCI graduates in the field, here are some insights about how these groups benefit from coaching:
Medical Students
Medical students benefit from coaching to support self-awareness around their core strengths, core values, and communication preferences. To the extent they begin to “know thyself,” this self-awareness aids in decision-making when it comes to pivot points in their career, such as choosing a speciality or residency program. In addition, understanding their own and other’s communication style aids in patient communication and peer collegiality. Some of the PCI coaching tools we recommend for medical students are Values Clarification Exercises, Strengths Articulation process, and DISC Flex Communication coaching.
Residents
Residency is the first time physicians will experience the enormous time demands and responsibilities of being a physician. Coaching is essential to support this transition, and it’s important to offer coaching to groups as well as individuals. All the PCI coaching tools used with medical students will also benefit the residents. Residents will be launching into either fellowship or practice and will benefit from coaching to uncover their unique qualities and articulate their personal vision.
Fellows
A unique aspect of coaching fellows is that they may be available inside the health system for a relatively brief time, since fellowship programs can be as short as 1 year. Similar to residents, they have an eye to ‘what’s next for me,’ since they are much closer to launching into the “real world.” Coaching will build on self-awareness topics addressed with medical students and residents, and will have an added focus on career launch topics. A valuable PCI coaching tool to use with fellows and residents is the Physician Intention Statement, which aids in articulating their “elevator speech.”
Faculty
The ideal scenario for faculty members is that they enjoy several decades of a fulfilling career within their organization. Faculty career advancement is expected to follow a path from junior to senior to emeritus status. Coaching support should reflect the phases of this career trajectory. Foremost, faculty members are expected to become excellent educators, mentors, and collaborators—and coaching can benefit them at each stage. As they advance, depending on their emphasis (clinical vs research vs teaching vs leadership), they are expected to elevate and refine their competencies. Coaching is essential in supporting self-assessment and skills development, particularly in the areas of communication and leadership. Specialized coaching processes also support faculty in mid-career when career dissatification may set in. PCI coaching structures such as Physician Legacy Exploration, Physician Flourishing, and Physician Leadership Impact are especially beneficial for mid-career fulfillment and reengagement.
Our PCI teams and grads who support medical academia report how gratified they feel to witness personal and professional growth of each distinct group. They especially appreciate the positive ripple effect that faculty who have received coaching can have on the junior colleagues.
If you are developing a coaching program for medical academia, whether for medical students, residents, fellows, or faculty, you are invited to speak to our executive director to glean more insights that can support your success.