Implementation of a Professional Coaching Program for Plastic Surgery Residents
Elizabeth A. Moroni*, Anne E. Glenney, Joseph Mocharnuk, Francesco Egro, Jesse Goldstein, Joseph Losee, Vu T. Nguyen
Plastic Surgery, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
In 2021, our program established a professional coaching program available to the Integrated residents within our Competency-Based Training Program. Coaching, which is distinguished from other educational interventions in that it is learner-centered, initiated, and driven, has been consistently shown to be valuable for clinical skills development. The purpose of this study is to detail our institution's experience with plastic surgery resident professional coaching.
Since its implementation in 2021, our department has offered professional coaching services to residents within the PGY-1 through PGY-5 years. This program emphasizes problem identification, goal setting, alternative solutions generation, and targeting of feasible solutions to clinical or professional problems. Our program also involves performance reviews which encourage frequent self-reflection using facilitated feedback tailored to the trainee's needs and goals.
Professional coaching offers a structured framework for surgical skills development. Of the 15 integrated residents in PGY 1-5 at our institution, 14 (93%) have availed themselves of professional coaching services. The majority (85%) of sessions are 30 minutes, with other sessions lasting 60 minutes. Ten residents (71%) have participated in multiple coaching sessions to establish longitudinal coaching relationships. Coaching topics range based on the PGY-level of the resident participant, with PGY1 residents focusing on transition to plastic surgery training, PGY2-4 residents focusing on defining their professional path and future training plans, and PGY4-6 residents focusing on transitioning from resident to fellow/attending roles. One-on-one sessions formalize time for resident guided self-reflection.
Our coaching service has shown itself to be a valuable tool for surgical and professional development with limited additional time commitment for busy trainees. We have found this program to be an integral component of our Competency-Based Medical Education model of training.
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