Bridging the Gap from Student to Doctor: Developing Coaches for the Transition to Residency

Abstract

Background A lack of educational continuity creates disorienting friction at the onset of residency. Few programs have harnessed the benefits of coaching, which can facilitate self-directed learning, competency development, and professional identity formation, to help ease this transition. Objective To describe the process of training faculty Bridge Coaches for the Transition to Residency Advantage (TRA) program for interns. Methods Nineteen graduate faculty educators participated in a coaching training course with formative skills assessment as part of a faculty development program starting in January 2020. Surveys (n = 15; 79%) and a focus group (n = 7; 37%) were conducted to explore the perceived impact of the training course on coaching skills, perceptions of coaching, and further program needs during the pilot year of the TRA program. Results Faculty had strong skills around establishing trust, authentic listening, and supporting goal-setting. They required more practice around guiding self-discovery and following a coachee-led agenda. Faculty found the training course to be helpful for developing coaching skills. Faculty embraced their new roles as coaches and appreciated having a community of practice with other coaches. Suggestions for improvement included more opportunities to practice and receive feedback on skills and additional structures to further support TRA program encounters with coaches. Conclusions The faculty development program was feasible and had good acceptance among participants. Faculty were well-suited to serve as coaches and valued the coaching mindset. Adequate skills reinforcement and program structure were identified as needs to facilitate a coaching program in graduate medical education.

Beyond the Digital Competencies of Medical Students: Concerns over Integrating Data Science Basics into the Medical Curriculum

“…Innovative educational approaches, such as active learning, self-directed and implicit learning, flipped classrooms, or gaming, might help us put the basics of data science into the right context, as they have already been brought into the discussion [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. In 2013, Bok et al [ 43 ] proposed workplace learning in medical education as a context for measuring and documenting competence development, together with formative feedback in addition to summative decisions.…”

“…Education is undergoing a swift and dramatic transformation in paradigm, in the context of digital policies aiming beyond mere digital literacy, such as those of the European Union [ 1 ]. Medical educators face the challenges of re-thinking their teaching approaches and adapting their courseware to synchronous and asynchronous educational activities, or even restructuring the whole curriculum [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. They are compelled to find solutions to incentivize their students’ resilience and help them develop higher-order thinking.…”

“I never should have been a doctor”: a qualitative study of imposter phenomenon among internal medicine residents

“…Coaching focuses on using skills of inquiry to explore the relationship between an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; it seeks to help individuals reframe negative thought processes such as doubts about one's abilities and belonging. Coaching skills can be taught to educators and this educational strategy is increasingly used in medical education to support technical skill development and also to address non-technical skills such as trainee professional identify formation and well-being [ 44 , 45 ].…”

Scaffolding the Transition to Residency: A Qualitative Study of Coach and Resident Perspectives

“…The curriculum sessions focused on fundamental skills of coaching (building rapport, active listening and asking powerful questions, using data to guide self-assessment, strengths-based coaching, theories of change, and coaching diverse learners) and critical aspects of the transition to residency (self-directed learning, cultivating resilience, culture, and trainee perspectives). Detailed descriptions of the coaching training process and the coaching program have been published elsewhere 13 . A version of this faculty development program modified for asynchronous learning is available online 14…”

“…Detailed descriptions of the coaching training process and the coaching program have been published elsewhere. 13 A version of this faculty development program modified for asynchronous learning is available online. 14 Fifteen bridge coaches were assigned to their first group of interns on Match Day 2020.…”