Decreasing Physician Burnout With Professional Coaching

The goal of this randomized control trial is to learn if professional coaching can help reduce physician burnout among physicians at UCLA. The main aims of the study are: To reduce burnout among physicians with professional coaching Improve work satisfaction and engagement, sense of self-efficacy and social support with professional coaching Determine the efficacy of one-on-one professional coaching and small group professional coaching combined with behavioral interventions/activities in reducing physician burnout and comparing these groups to one another and to a delayed-entry (control) group Participants will be randomly assigned into one of three groups: Intervention Group 1: One-on-one coaching (N=30). Six one-on-one coaching sessions via Zoom with one of two private professional coaches every other week for 3 months. Intervention Group 2: Coach-facilitated group sessions and coach-guided activities/behavioral interventions (N=30). Six small-group coaching sessions via Zoom with one of two private professional coaches and three physician participants in each group, every other week for 3 months. Group 2 includes coach-guided activities/behavioral interventions in addition to small group coaching sessions. These activities will be sent by coaches to participates throughout the 3 month period and include, but are not limited to: Wheel of Life, visioning exercise, one page miracle: core values, purpose, and goals, buckets and mental models. Delayed-Entry Group 3 (N=30): No intervention during duration of study period. Note: once participation in the pilot study has been completed for Groups 1 and 2, physicians participating in Group 3 will be offered to participate in six one-on-one sessions with a private professional coach over a 3 month period. Participants will complete several surveys that assess for burnout, work engagement and satisfaction, sense of social support and isolation, and areas of worklife) before the start, upon completion of the intervention and again at 6 months upon completion of the sessions for the delayed-entry group.

One-on-one professional coaching (N=30). Six one-on-one coaching sessions via Zoom with one of two private professional coaches every other week for 3 months. The professional coaching method includes (but will not be limited to) the following themes: optimizing meaning and engagement in work, building social support and community, improving work efficiency, addressing workload and boundary setting, enhancing communication, and building leadership skills, pursuing hobbies and creation/innovation, and promoting self-compassion and self-care (with a focus on physical and mental health).

Coach-facilitated small group professional coaching sessions and coach-guided activities/behavioral interventions (N=30). Six small-group coaching sessions via Zoom with one of two private professional coaches and three physician participants in each group, every other week for 3 months. Group 2 includes coach-guided activities/behavioral interventions in addition to small group coaching sessions. These activities will be sent by coaches to participates throughout the 3 month period and include, but are not limited to: Wheel of Life, visioning exercise, one page miracle: core values, purpose, and goals, buckets and mental models. The professional coaching method is similar to those receiving 1:1 professional coaching. The primary difference in this intervention group is that coaching sessions will be group-based with 3 physician participants and they will also be receiving behavioral interventions/activities in between group sessions, sent by coaches directly to participants.

Delayed-Entry Group 3 (N=30). No intervention during the 90 day study period. Note: once participation in the pilot study has been completed for Groups 1 and 2, physicians participating in Group 3 will be offered to participate in six one-on-one sessions with a private professional coach over a 3 month period. The professional coaching method includes (but will not be limited to) the following themes: optimizing meaning and engagement in work, building social support and community, improving work efficiency, addressing workload and boundary setting, enhancing communication, and building leadership skills, pursuing hobbies and creation/innovation, and promoting self-compassion and self-care (with a focus on physical and mental health).

Physician burnout (as measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment) evaluated with the Maslach Inventory Scale

Workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values as measured by the Areas of Worklife Survey

Sense of social support and isolation as measured by the PROMIS Social Isolation Subscale and Social Provisions Scale

Inclusion Criteria: Actively practicing UCLA department of medicine physicians who were hired before July 2020 Exclusion Criteria: Current or anticipated (in the next 6 months) participation in one-on-one or group coaching provided by a professional coach. Participation in peer-to-peer UCLA DOM coaching program (note: coaches in the peer-to-peer UCLA DOM coaching program are not to be excluded)

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