Work in an academic medical center, especially oncology-focused work can lead to burnout. Retaining faculty is essential, especially in a time when oncology care is in high demand and in short supply. Coaching has emerged as a pivotal strategy to enhance faculty development in academic medical centers. Coaching is a process whereby a faculty member meets with a faculty coach on a regular basis to create goals, identify strategies to deal with challenges, and further professional identity development. Coaching fosters professional growth, develops emotional intelligence and communication proficiency, mitigates burnout, and supports career advancement - helping faculty to navigate complex academic environments to achieve their professional goals. 

 

The HealthCare Coach Training program, developed by Dr. Wells-Di Gregorio, is a comprehensive 12-session healthcare professional coaches training program to train faculty to coach their colleagues for greater success, engagement, and professional fulfillment. The program is structured based on a survey of the Chair and Division Directors of Internal Medicine on the skills and characteristics of faculty members who are deemed most successful combining elements of coach training and communication, team building, and leadership skills. The curriculum incorporates skills such as problem-solving, time management, organization, teamwork, and burnout mitigation. The program also emphasizes building essential characteristics such as proactivity, humility, persistence, equanimity, and optimism. This program was created with the quadruple mission of The Ohio State University Medical Center in mind - to improve health through research, education, patient care and community engagement. To accomplish this comprehensive mission, faculty require a solid foundation of skills and attitudes to allow them to achieve peak performance.

This HealthCare Coach Training Program fills a gap in coach training programs nationwide which focus more broadly on business leadership or health promotion or are too brief to provide adequate coaching exposure. We anticipate that the HealthCare Coach Training Program will help faculty to prosper in a fast-paced, everchanging academic medical center. The skills and tools have demonstrated evidence to enhance communication, mitigate burnout, and enhance professional fulfillment. This is a sustainable approach with benefits accruing with a hub and spokes training model from the initial cohort of coach trainees, their coachees, and those who participate in the future. We anticipate launch of this training program in 2026.

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Selected Publication

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1. Wells‐Di Gregorio, S., Dixon, B., Flowers, S., Ashton, K., Muenks, E., & Deshields, T. (2024). Productivity Benchmarking and Burnout in Psychosocial Oncology: Creating a Sustainable Care Model. Psycho‐Oncology, 33(11), e70024. Read it Here!