Impact of a Virtual Professional Development Coaching Program on the Professional Fulfillment and Well-Being of Women Surgery Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Kerri Palamara; Sophia K McKinley; Jacqueline T Chu; Andrea L Merrill; Liyang Yu; Sareh Parangi; Maryam S Makowski; Yoon Soo Park; Karen Donelan; Sharon L Stein

doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000005562

Impact of a Virtual Professional Development Coaching Program on the Professional Fulfillment and Well-Being of Women Surgery Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Ann Surg. 2023 Feb 1;277(2):188-195. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005562. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

Authors

Kerri Palamara¹, Sophia K McKinley², Jacqueline T Chu¹, Andrea L Merrill³, Liyang Yu¹, Sareh Parangi^{4

3

5}, Maryam S Makowski⁶, Yoon Soo Park⁷, Karen Donelan^{1

8}, Sharon L Stein^{4

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
² Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.
³ Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA.
⁴ Association of Women Surgeons, Chicago, IL.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Newton Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA.
⁷ Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
⁸ Institute on Healthcare Systems, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, MA.
⁹ Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland, Cleveland, OH.

PMID: 35766397
DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005562

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the effect of a virtual coaching program offered to women surgery residents in a surgical society.

Background: Randomized controlled experiments evaluating the effect of coaching on trainee well-being and burnout is lacking.

Methods: Women surgery residents in the Association of Women Surgeons were recruited to participate in a randomized controlled trial of the effects of a virtual coaching program on trainee well-being. Attending surgeons served as coaches after completing in-person training. Residents (n=237) were randomized to intervention (three 1:1 coaching sessions over 9 mo) or control (e-mailed wellness resources). Participants were surveyed at baseline and postintervention using validated measures of well-being, burnout, and resilience. Changes in outcome measures between presurvey and postsurvey were compared between study arms.

Results: Survey response rates were 56.9% (n=66) in the control group and 69.4% (n=84) in the intervention group ( P =0.05). The intervention group showed significant improvement in professional fulfillment ( P =0.021), burnout (0.026), work exhaustion (0.017), self-valuation (0.003), and well-being ( P =0.002); whereas the control group showed significant improvement in self-valuation ( P =0.015) and significant decline in resilience ( P =0.025). The intervention group had a significant improvement in well-being ( P =0.015) and intolerance of uncertainty ( P =0.015) compared to controls.

Conclusions: Women surgery residents who participated in a remote coaching program offered by a surgical society demonstrated improvement in aspects of well-being relative to peers who did not receive coaching. Therefore, remote coaching offered by a professional society may be a useful component of initiatives directed at trainee well-being.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04883307.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / prevention & control
Female
Humans
Internship and Residency*
Mentoring*
Surgeons* / education
Surveys and Questionnaires

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04883307