242
Embedding Coaching and Mentoring Within Surgical
Education
If we accept that coaching and mentoring are vital to learning and developing within
the complex surgical workplace, then we must identify ways in which to build coach-
ing and mentoring experiences. At this time, a culture of mentoring and coaching is not
yet a common practice in academic medicine. A systematic review of mentoring stud-
ies in academic medicine indicates that fewer than 50% of medical students and 20%
of faculty members have mentors [ 34 ]. If access to coaches and mentors within surgical
education aligns with the prior research in academic medicine and coaching and men-
toring seems to positively impact performance across different competencies, then it is
easy to see why surgical education faculty and leaders may want to implement strate-
gies to develop coaching and mentoring relationships in surgical education.
Before rushing to establish formal coaching and mentoring programs, it is impor-
tant to recognize that ideal coaching and mentoring relationships are organic, pur-
poseful, and reciprocal. Creating a program in which mentors or coaches are
assigned externally tends to be less successful than programs in which the coaches,
mentors, and learners are actively involved in establishing the partnerships. When
mentors, coaches, and learners have few shared interests with each other, they are
placed in awkward situations, and the connection suffers from an artificial arrange-
ment. Mandatory assignments make it difficult to find a topic, purpose, or shared
connection to discuss. Assigning mentors mandatorily is attractive as this approach
ensures every learner is matched with a coach or mentor, but that is often where the
benefits of mandatory assignments end.
Building formal coaching/mentoring programs often starts with reflecting on the
current organizational structure and culture. When integrating coaching/mentoring,
having a deep understanding of the organizational environment is imperative. This
includes but is not limited to the culture, work flows, system design, and reward
structures [ 39 , 40 ]. A few questions to consider are as follows:
- Is mentoring and coaching already happening? Where is it happening? How is it
working? - Who is taking an active role as a coach and/or mentor? What qualities do they
possess? What do learners say about being coached and mentored? - What resources do students, residents, and faculty members access when they
need help or assistance? Who is providing help when students, residents, and
faculty members face difficulty? - What perception do our students, residents, and faculty members have about
coaching and mentoring? Is it seen as continuous learning or remediation? - Are those who serve as coaches and mentors rewarded? If so, how? If mentoring
and coaching is currently limited or missing, how would coaches and mentors be
rewarded?
While specific frameworks and models of mentoring and coaching programs have
been offered, it is important to develop mentoring/coaching strategies that closely
J.L. Koehler and E. Sturm