Academic coaching: Insights from the medical student’s perspective

Abstract

Purpose: With the growing recognition of the role of coaching in competency-based medical education, many medical education training programs are investing significant resources into developing coaching programs. However, there is a lack of rigorous research on academic coaching programs in medical education and recommended coaching practices are based on expert opinion without incorporating the student perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate factors that affect a students’ perception of a successful coaching experience.

Materials and method: This was a qualitative study performed in November 2018 at a medical school in the United States with a formal coaching program. Appreciative inquiry was the theoretical framework used to develop the question guide. The authors facilitated two focus groups and then used Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis approach to analyze the transcripts.

Results: A total of 21 students participated in the focus groups. The analysis revealed four themes that describe students’ perceptions of successful coaching experiences: coach attributes, relational skills, coaching skills, and utilization of coaching. Each of these themes had specific dimensions.

Conclusions: The findings from this study illuminate the student stakeholder perspectives on successful coaching relationships, and should be considered when developing a coaching program and faculty development.

Ethical approval

Exempt status by Author’s Institutional Review Board.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Glossary

Academic coach: An academic coach guides learners to achieve their fullest potential by indirectly evaluating performance via review of objective assessments.

Additional information

Funding

American Medical Association Innovation Grant.

Notes on contributors

Margaret Wolff

Margaret Wolff, MD, is an associate professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Helen Morgan

Helen Morgan, MD, is an associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Jasmyne Jackson

Jasmyne Jackson, MD, MBA, is a pediatrics resident at the Boston Combined Residency Program, Boston, MA, USA.

Eric Skye

Eric Skye, MD, is an associate professor, Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Maya Hammoud

Maya Hammoud, MD, is a professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Paula T. Ross

Paula T. Ross, PhD, is the Director of RISE and the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.