University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) has instituted a longitudinal coaching program to assist with students’ academic and professional development. While advising and mentoring center on direct professional advice and personal connection, respectively, the focus of coaching is self-reflection and feedback based on performance data1. To help ensure that communication and program goals align with students’ needs and concerns, we aim to evaluate incoming students’ initial expectations and priorities for Coaching.
In this cross-sectional study (IRB Exempt, HUM00256577), first year students submitted anonymous REDCap surveys during their first week of classes. No responses were excluded. Outcomes for this analysis included expected value of Coaching, perceived importance of several potential outcomes of Coaching to the success of the program, and qualities students look for in a coach.
172 responses were submitted. 94.8% of students anticipated that Coaching would be “valuable”, “very valuable”, or “essential”, with 52.9% responding “very valuable.” Of the 9 (5.2%) students who predicted that Coaching would be “not valuable” or “slightly valuable,” reasons given centered on a perceived lack of need, a discomfort with vulnerability, and a lack of understanding of how the program would help. Over 90% of the respondents marked each of 7 potential outcomes of Coaching (direct professional advice, help with goal setting, someone to challenge assumptions, academic support, networking opportunities, emotional support, and space for self-reflection) as “important”, “very important”, or “essential” to the success of their experience. Direct professional advice was deemed essential by over half (58.1%) of respondents. “Understanding,” “honest,” “supportive,” and “nonjudgmental,” were commonly listed desired qualities in a coach.
The findings reinforce the idea that students hope for medical school coaches to engage in a wide range of helpful behaviors, sometimes those that are more technically associated with advising or mentoring. They also highlight the pressure incoming students already feel to succeed in many domains of medical education at once. Future work will focus on M2 and M4 students to gauge perception and opportunities for improvement of Coaching at different stages of training and relationship-building.
Santiesteban L, Young E, Tiarks GC, et al. Defining Advising, Coaching, and Mentoring for Student Development in Medical Education. Cureus. 2022;14(7):e27356. Published 2022 Jul 27. doi:10.7759/cureus.27356