Tips for developing a coaching program in medical education

ABSTRACT

This article provides structure to developing, implementing, and evaluating a successful coaching program that effectively meets the needs of learners. We highlight the benefits of coaching in medical education and recognize that many educators desiring to build coaching programs seek resources to guide this process. We align 12 tips with Kern’s Six Steps for Curriculum Development and integrate theoretical frameworks from the literature to inform the process. Our tips include defining the reasons a coaching program is needed, learning from existing programs and prior literature, conducting a needs assessment of key stakeholders, identifying and obtaining resources, developing program goals, objectives, and approach, identifying coaching tools, recruiting and training coaches, orienting learners, and evaluating program outcomes for continuous program improvement. These tips can serve as a framework for initial program development as well as iterative program improvement.

KEYWORDS:

• Coaching
• program development
• professional development
• medical residents
• medical students
• program design

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Lars Osterberg MD, Monique Naifeh MD, and Heather McPhillips MD, MPH for their thoughtful review of the approach to this article and Mystique Smith-Bentley RN, MBA and the Office of Patient Experience at Stanford University for their championship of coaching programming. The authors would also like to thank: Thomas, Patricia A., MD, David E. Kern, MD, MPH, Mark T. Hughes, MD, MA, Sean A. Tackett, MD, MPH, and Belinda Y. Chen, MD, eds. Curriculum Development for Medical Education: A Six-Step Approach.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Miller-Kuhlmann

Rebecca Miller-Kuhlmann, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology, Associate Director of the Stanford Neurology Residency Communication Coaching Program, and Assistant Dean for Pre-clerkship Education at Stanford.

Marzena Sasnal

Marzena Sasnal, PhD, MA is a Senior Research Analyst at the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University. She provides consultations on research methods and assists in conducting research projects, including evaluating education programs.

Carl A. Gold

Carl A. Gold, MD, MS is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Stanford Neurology Residency Communication Coaching Program. He is also the Program Director for the Stanford Neurohospitalist Fellowship, and the Vice Chair of Quality, Safety, and Experience for the Department of Neurology.

Aussama K. Nassar

Aussama K. Nassar, MD, MSc, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery and the Director of the Stanford Surgery Residency Communication Coaching Program. He is also the Program Director for the Stanford Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program.

James R. Korndorffer

James R. Korndorffer Jr. MD MHPE is Vice Chair for Education, Stanford Department of Surgery, Director of the Goodman Surgical Simulation Center, Director of the Surgical Education Fellowship and Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford.

Sandrijn Van Schaik

Sandrijn Van Schaik, MD, PhD is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at UCSF. She is the Baum Family Presidential Chair for Experiential Learning, Simulation Center Director, Director of Faculty Development in the Center for Faculty Educators, and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Pediatrics.

Andrea Marmor

Andrea Marmor, MD, MSEd is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at UCSF who practices at San Francisco General Hospital. She is a medical student coach and Director of Faculty Development for UCSF’s medical student coaching program.

Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams, MD, MHPE, ACC is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine (EM) at Stanford. She is the Executive Director of the Coaching Office: Advancing Coaching in Healthcare and Medical Education at Stanford (“COACHME@Stanford”) and is an ICF-certified coach. She is also oversees the EM residency coaching program.

Rebecca Blankenburg

Rebecca Blankenburg, MD, MPH is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Pediatrics Residency Coaching Program, Associate Chair of Education in Pediatrics, and Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education at Stanford.

Caroline E. Rassbach

Caroline E. Rassbach, MD, MA is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Residency Program Director at Stanford School of Medicine. She previously developed the Stanford Pediatric Residency Coaching Program in 2013 and served as its Coaching Director.