Promoting Success: A Professional Development Coaching Program for Interns in Medicine.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Well-being
• Positive Psychology

Background:

• Physician residency is a demanding period marked by challenges such as burnout and identity development.
• While residency programs offer remediation, emotional support for interns is frequently insufficient.
• Professional development coaching for interns, irrespective of performance, remains an under-reported intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate a professional development coaching program for interns utilizing positive psychology principles.
• To enhance intern physicians' professional growth and provide emotional support during residency.

Main Methods:

• A professional development coaching program was implemented in a large internal medicine residency.
• The program involved curriculum development, regular coach-intern interactions, and comprehensive evaluations.
• Data collection included surveys and qualitative interviews with 72 interns and 26 faculty coaches.

Main Results:

• 82% of interns engaged in at least three coaching sessions.
• Interns overwhelmingly rated the coaching program positively (94% good or excellent) and recommended it (96%).
• The incidence of burnout was lower in the coached intern cohort compared to a previous cohort.

Conclusions:

• A coaching program incorporating positive psychology principles shows promise in fostering intern development.
• This intervention may offer a strategy to mitigate burnout among resident physicians.
• Early evidence suggests coaching can positively impact intern professional growth and well-being.