Coaching for Healthcare Professionals with Gail Gazelle and Les Schwab

Dr. Gail Gazelle, a former hospice physician, professor, coach, and author, and Dr. Les Schwab, a primary care physician and healthcare leader, have spent many years coaching physicians and working within many facets of the healthcare space. In this episode of Coaching Revealed, the pair are interviewed by Jeff Hull, Executive Director of the Institute of Coaching. They share how they began their careers as practicing physicians, to working in the healthcare industry as physician coaches, and shed wisdom on the intersection of medicine and coaching. We dive into their own personal transformations through coaching, which helped establish their desire to themselves become physician coaches. In addition to overcoming the challenges of medicine, both Gail and Les emphasize the need for physicians to embrace vulnerability and adapt to the changing landscape of healthcare. With Jeff Hull, Gail, and Les discuss the systemic issues contributing to physician burnout and the cultural expectations placed upon medical physicians. We also explore insights from current research currently underway on effective coaching practices for physicians; research which highlights the role of self-awareness and relationship-building in coaching engagements. To round out the episode, the future of coaching in healthcare is explored, touching on the role of coaching programs in medical education and the potentail for an emphasis on a relational leadership style to reduce burnout among physicians.