Executive/life coaching for first year medical students: a prospective study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Student Well-being
• Psychology

Background:

• First-year medical students experience high rates of mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
• There is a need for effective interventions to support the quality of life for student physicians during their training.
• Executive/life coaching is a potential strategy to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility, tolerability, and participant recommendation of a structured, theory-based executive/life coaching program for first-year medical students.
• To explore the program's impact on coaching goals, resilience, and perceived stress.
• To evaluate the potential for integrating such coaching into the medical school curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A single-arm intervention study involving first-year medical students at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
• The program consisted of two group and two private coaching sessions during the second semester.
• Pre- and post-intervention survey data were collected, including validated scales for resilience and stress.

Main Results:

• High adherence (37/40 students completed) and willingness to recommend the program (32/37 students).
• Significant increases in self-efficacy for stress management (p < 0.001) and awareness of stress-related thoughts (p = 0.05).
• While global resilience scores did not change, specific factors like control (p = 0.029) and spiritual influence (p = 0.005) improved; 40.6% reported decreased stress.

Conclusions:

• The tailored executive/life coaching program is feasible, tolerable, and safe for first-year medical students, with excellent adherence.
• Participant willingness to recommend and high utility ratings suggest potential efficacy.
• Further research with refined measures and larger clinical trial designs is warranted for definitive proof of effectiveness.