What is Physician Coaching?

Physicians typically invest many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars into becoming physicians, but after we start practicing as physicians, many of us feel a tremendous sense of overwhelm, frustration, helplessness, and feeling “stuck” that makes it difficult for us to show up for work every day. Despite our extensive training to become physicians, we do not learn how to navigate the stressors that come along with being a physician, including burnout, stress, time management, and navigating relationships. As a result, we learn to constantly self-sacrifice and not take good care of ourselves, which makes it difficult for us to care for others. Coaching is designed to help us to rediscover the inner selves that we have been sacrificing for so long and helps to open the doors to living our lives on our terms. Being well, having a work-life balance, and having meaningful careers are important to us, and coaching can help us to achieve our goals. Physician coaching combines information and learning, awareness, skill building, action planning, and accountability into an experience that guarantees personal growth and professional achievement.

On a daily basis, we experience many things that are beyond our control, and this has never been more prevalent than during the recent coronavirus pandemic. It is easy to believe that circumstances are what create our feelings, but in fact, our thoughts create our feelings and our feelings create our results. Given these facts, we can learn how to understand how to allow our thoughts to work for us instead of against us and ultimately change how we feel and the results that we achieve. Physician coaching helps us to learn and practice the skills that we need to reach our goals.

Your physician coach is a true partner, interested in you being successful and becoming a more powerful person and leader along the way. Coaching helps to support your need to successfully navigate the challenges that you may be experiencing, as well as create meaningful paths to achieve your personal and professional goals. You are always only one decision away from having a totally different life.

Who is Appropriate for Coaching?

– “Overachievers” can become more productive through rest, self-compassion, and self-care.

– Perfectionists can learn how to silence their inner critics.

– Burned-out clinicians can find joy in practicing medicine again.

– People pleasers can stop trying to prove their worth and start trusting themselves.

– Physicians who feel guilty about taking time for themselves can learn to choose themselves and feel good about it.

– Physicians going through a career transition can learn how to make their perceived weaknesses become their strengths and move confidently forward with their choices.

– Female physicians can learn that they can “have it all,“ and be excellent physicians, caring spouses/partners, and nurturing mothers.

– Physicians having difficulty managing their boundaries can learn to honor their needs and create and respect their boundaries.

– Physicians who feel inefficient in their work can learn to incorporate time-saving strategies and ultimately become more efficient.

– Physicians in leadership roles can learn to trust their instincts and make decisions that maintain patient safety as their primary concern.

– Physicians struggling with personal relationships can learn to accept their roles and alter how they show up to improve these relationships.

– Physicians with imposter syndrome can learn to trust their instincts and recognize that they know more than they believe that they know.