Physician Coaching: An Intervention to Address the Burnout Gender Gap Among Physicians

Abstract

Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic stressors, characterized by emotional exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and depersonalization, and low sense of personal accomplishment. Burnout is well documented among physicians. Additionally, numerous studies have demonstrated a higher prevalence of burnout among women-identifying physicians compared to men-identifying physicians. Recently, multiple randomized controlled trials have shown that professional coaching for physicians significantly decreased burnout and emotional exhaustion and improved resilience, quality of life, work engagement, self-compassion, and psychological capital. To begin addressing the unique drivers of women physicians, specifically physician mothers, we designed and implemented a group coaching program that addressed drivers of burnout for physician mothers. We found that group coaching is an affordable and well-received intervention that can help address burnout drivers of physician mothers and begin to narrow the burnout gender gap. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2024;54(1):e14–e18.]