Benefits of coaching for healthcare professionals
As a healthcare professional, it’s your job to help patients feel better and return to their day-to-day lives with renewed health and well-being. If you’re like most healthcare professionals, though, there are moments when you may feel your ability to perform at the highest level in this role may slip out of your grasp. You might find yourself asking, Am I working as effectively as I could be? Am I making progress towards my goals? Am I helping my patients achieve the best possible outcomes? If you answered no to any of these questions, you may benefit from coaching. If you’re a healthcare professional who would like to know more about the benefits of coaching, this article is for you.
Providing healthcare professionals with accountability
Healthcare professionals have a lot on their plate. From staying on top of paperwork to balancing time with patients and other tasks, they have a unique set of challenges. The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that healthcare professionals are often hard on themselves because they believe they should always be able to meet the needs of everyone for whom they care. With coaching, you can set your own priorities and focus on what matters most to you.
Many healthcare professionals say they didn't feel like coaching was right for them, until after they had tried it. Once these same people try coaching, they often report that it is one of the most useful things that they've done in their professional lives.
Helping healthcare professionals establishing long-term goals
It’s hard to get things done in a timely fashion when you don’t know where you’re going. A coach can help you focus on your mission, whether it’s related to patient care or leadership development, and see it through from beginning to end. The result? You become a better professional—and lead others with more confidence and competence. Coaching helps solve problems: Most doctors are under enormous pressure—whether it be stress at work or time management at home. A coach can help. When you feel overwhelmed or need to make a change, a coach can help you identify your problems and create solutions
Staying focused on the patient
Working with a coach will help you stay on track, even in situations where there is a lot going on. Having someone else who can keep an eye on things means that you are more likely to be able to stay focused on what really matters: patient care.
Having the opportunity to talk about work frustrations
When you have a coach, you will always have someone who you can check in with and say "I'm not sure I know what's going on" or even better - "I don't think I'm the best doctor that I could be". A good coach will then help you explore what is holding you back and help you find ways forward.
Coaching focuses on solutions
Coaching is solution-oriented. Once you are aware of your challenges, a coach will help you come up with ideas to overcome them. An added benefit? After you finish coaching , you can be an even more effective leader because of the clarity that comes from dealing with these issues.
Coaching helps you find balance
Life as a medical professional is demanding. Whether you’re working shifts, seeing patients or attending to administrative tasks, there are times when it can be challenging to stay centered and calm. Coaching helps you keep a clear perspective by helping you pinpoint your goals and create a strategy for achieving them. Life becomes less frantic because all aspects of your life have purpose and meaning; everyone benefits from that kind of balance.