Coaching the Coach: A Program for Development of Faculty Portfolio Coaches

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Faculty Development
• Professional Skills Training

Background:

• A comprehensive portfolio and coaching program was implemented as part of a significant reform in undergraduate medical education.
• A new cohort of 25 coaches is enrolled annually, each managing 8-10 students over a 4-year coaching relationship.
• Coaches receive compensation equivalent to 5% of their full-time effort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted training program for faculty portfolio coaches in undergraduate medical education.
• To determine if the training program imparts essential coaching skills, including creating safe environments, utilizing performance data, eliciting reflection, and guiding goal development.
• To assess coach and student perceptions of coaching effectiveness and skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

• A multifaceted training program was delivered, comprising orientation modules, a 7.5-hour workshop on reflective writing analysis, an Observed Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE), and ongoing coaches' meetings.
• Four key coaching skills were emphasized: safe environment creation, performance data utilization, reflective questioning, and goal-setting guidance.
• Outcomes measured included coaches' self-assessments, written vignette responses, OSTE video recordings, and student evaluations, with skills coded for presence/absence.

Main Results:

• Coaches reported significant self-perceived improvements in assessing reflection, enhancing reflection, using performance data, and guiding goal development, with perceptions persisting after two semesters.
• Students rated coaches highly (82% excellent) and reported high satisfaction with safe environments (99%), insight promotion (92%), and goal setting (97%).
• While written vignette responses showed no clear learning pattern post-training, the OSTE demonstrated that all coaches exhibited the four desired skills.

Conclusions:

• The faculty coaching training program successfully equipped coaches with essential skills, as evidenced by their performance in the Observed Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE).
• Coaches' self-assessments and student evaluations corroborated the development and application of key coaching competencies.
• Despite varied results in written assessments, the OSTE indicated that the training effectively prepared coaches to meet the program's objectives.