Facilitating the transition to residency: A resident-as-coach pilot program

Abstract

Background

The transition from medical school to residency is a critical developmental phase; coaching may help students prepare for this role transition.

Aims

We explored whether near-peer coaching could improve a specific workplace skill prior to residency.

Methods

A resident-as-coach program was piloted for the medicine sub-internship, an advanced acting internship rotation. Between March and June 2021, 26 students were assigned a resident coach (n = 16). Resident coaches completed one training session, and student-coach dyads met for one coaching session on ‘pre-rounding’- gathering patient data before rounds. The program was evaluated through surveys and focus groups.

Results

20/26 students and 14/16 residents completed the survey. 19/20 students identified a pre-rounding challenge and reported increased pre-rounding efficiency; all committed to one actionable step for improvement. All 16 residents felt their coaching skills improved. In focus groups, students valued the program’s focus on honing a relevant skill in a safe, near-peer setting. Residents expressed their intent to incorporate coaching into their future work.

Conclusions

A resident-as-coach model can be effective in preparing students for residency, while concurrently building residents’ coaching skills.

Keywords:

• Coaching
• transition to residency
• sub-internship
• acting internship
• resident-as-teacher

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Brigham medicine residents and Harvard medical students who participated in the program.

Ethical approval

This study was deemed exempt by the Harvard Medical School Educational Scholarship Review Committee.

Authors’ contributions

DGC and MWM contributed to study design and analysis, completing the work of first and senior author, respectively. NYO, JEK, SEF, SR, JTK, JCS, and MDC contributed to study design and manuscript review.

Disclosure statement

MWM directs the BWH Medicine Sub-Internship.

Additional information

Funding

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

Notes on contributors

Dana G. Callahan

Dana G. Callahan, MD, Medical Education Fellow, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Nora Y. Osman

Nora Y. Osman, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS, BWH.

Jean E. Klig

Jean E. Klig, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, HMS, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.

Susan E. Farrell

Susan E. Farrell, MD, EdM, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, HMS, MGH.

Jessica C. Stuart

Jessica C. Stuart, MD, Instructor of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.

Maxwell D. Coll

Maxwell D. Coll, MD, Cardiology Fellow, HMS, BWH.

Joel T. Katz

Joel T. Katz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS, BWH.

Subha Ramani

Subha Ramani, MBBS, PhD, FAMEE Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS, BWH.

Mary W. Montgomery

Mary W. Montgomery, MD Instructor in Medicine, HMS, BWH.