The
enormous stresses on todays physicians has lead to a dramatic increase in
stress related disorders including "disruptive behavior" and burnout.
Currently, two of the oldest providers of mandated interventions for physicians both offer two or three day Continuing Medical Education Courses in a small group format for disruptive behavior. The Distressed
Physician Program is offered at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=cph&doc=4253
and
the PACE Anger Management Program for Professionals is offered by the University
of California School of Medicine at San Diego http://www.paceprogram.ucsd.edu .
Physicians
are reluctant to participate in groups or classes for sensitive issues such as
"disruptive behavior" or burnout and are more comfortable pursuing individual coaching sessions on-site or at the offices of
Anderson & Anderson, APC in Los Angeles. http://andersonservices.com/services/disruptive-physicians/.
One of the fundamental
choices available to physician coaching clients is one-on-one coaching versus a
small group course. There are many differences between these types of
coaching and in the type of experiences you will have with each. However,
both types of interventions have a lot to offer; the choice should be made on
where you will get the maximum benefit and offers the best learning experience.
What Individual Coaching
for Physicians and High Profile Clients Offer
Individual coaching is
based around a strong relationship between the coach and the individual, and
demands a strong interaction between both parties. It includes a great
deal of “face time,” often in both the office and via phone contacts. The
complete experience is very much a free flow of information to and skill
enhancement exercises for the individual. The coaching is focused on the
participants needs. Confidentiality is considered to be more secure in
individual coaching than any type of group intervention.
At
times the individual coaching experience can seem a little overwhelming because
the attention of the coach is fixed firmly on the client but this is what’s
needed for the end result to fully develop skills sets in self-aware,
self-control, social awareness and relationship management. These are the core
topics of coaching for disruptive behavior.
Emotional Intelligence Including 360 Degree Assessments
Increases RIO
Another
way to track the benefits (or lack thereof) associated with coaching is through
the use of assessments. Assessments conducted at the beginning of a coaching
program help focus the goal-setting process, and readministering the same
assessment at the completion of the coaching can determine the extent to which
progress was made.
Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree
feedback, for example, has become almost synonymous with coaching programs.
Assessments that compare self-perceptions and the perceptions of others can
provide invaluable information for the employee who needs a better
understanding of how his or her behavior affects others (Nowack, 2007). http://andersonservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/EQ360-2.0-Feedback_Standard_Client.pdf
Continuing Medical Education
Classes and Its Benefits
Conversely
the use of classes offers a very different experience. Joining a small
class allows each individual to share his or her experience. And while the
techniques and tools used by most trainers will be very similar, individuals
not only are aware of how the training affects them; they also get to see how
it’s affecting other class members. Role playing and peer-supported
learning has a number of benefits; it provides a less pressured environment and
the group often becomes an extended support network to reinforce the lessons
and tools first introduced by the trainer. Confidentiality in groups is
perceived to be less secure especially among well-known surgeons and Medical
School Professors.
In
conclusion, Well-Being Committees and administrators who mandate or refer
physicians, and high profile clients to mandated coaching should be aware of
the concern of those who are candidates for coaching. Individual vs. small
group classes should be carefully explored with the participants before the
referral is made. In addition, pre and post assessments add to a program’s
credibility.
County,
State and National Medical Associations are beginning to recommend legitimate,
trained professional providers of Emotional Intelligence Coaching for
"disruptive behavior" rather than counseling, psychotherapy or
classes.
George Anderson, MSW, LCSW, BCD, CAMF
Anderson & Anderson, APC: www.andersonservices.com
