Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Professional Coaching Program on the Components of Burnout in a Diverse Group of Physician Leaders

Vanessa Calderón; Ashley Mogul Wyman; Gregg Miller

doi:10.1177/27536130241296088

Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Professional Coaching Program on the Components of Burnout in a Diverse Group of Physician Leaders

Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024 Oct 28:13:27536130241296088. doi: 10.1177/27536130241296088. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Vanessa Calderón¹, Ashley Mogul Wyman², Gregg Miller³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory Decatur Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Olympia Fields, IL, USA.
³ Department of Emergency Medicine, Swedish Edmonds, Edmonds, WA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Burnout impacts physicians at alarming rates; physician leaders are not immune. While burnout of physician leaders is associated with decreased leadership efficacy, physician coaching has been associated with reduced burnout.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of a physician-leader specific coaching program on the components of burnout.

Methods: A 10-week Wellness Coaching Program for physician medical directors was conducted and burnout was measured pre and post intervention using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS).

Results: All subscales of the MBI-GS trended towards a decrease in the components of burnout with a statistically significant decrease in Cynicism.

Conclusion: Wellness coaching programs have the potential to positively impact the threat of burnout experienced by physician leaders in today's health care workforce.

Keywords: leadership training; mindfulness; physician burnout; physicians’ attitudes; well-being; wellness coaching.