Understanding the Difference Between Physician Coaching and Peer Support

Sometimes, there's confusion in healthcare about the difference between peer support and coaching, as both serve valuable purposes. There is overlap in the skillsets, and both involve supporting colleagues, but the outcomes we aim for are different. It’s important to distinguish between the two because both are valuable resources in a physician's career. Both require good listening, empathy, and a commitment to avoiding telling people what to do. However, when we are deliberate about what we do and why, we can make the greatest impact. In this blog, we’ll take a quick look at peer support and physician coaching, and why both are important in healthcare. 

What Is Physician Coaching?

Physician coaching is a structured, goal-oriented process designed to help physicians attain specific goals. Physician coaching emphasizes measurable progress toward an outcome the client sets. The purpose is to achieve a defined aim with action and intentional change. 

A typical physician coaching relationship includes:

• Goals
• Awareness
• Action steps 

In a physician coaching relationship, the coach supports the client in developing insight that leads to actionable steps in support of their goals.

What Is Peer Support?

Peer support, by contrast, is centered on shared experience, empathy, and connection. It may be structured (such as scheduled meetings) or informal (such as conversations among colleagues), but its primary goal is emotional support and a confidential space to decompress. It is based on shared mutual experiences and recovery-oriented values, rather than traditional clinician-patient roles. Peer support is a valuable and increasingly recognized component of mental health care. However, its effectiveness depends on preserving its core principles while integrating it into formal healthcare systems (1).

Key characteristics of peer support include:

• Active listening and acknowledgment
• Shared understanding among colleagues
• Absence of formal goal-setting or accountability

While peer support is incredibly valuable, there is no pressure to achieve specific aims or benchmarks. 

Supporting Both Approaches in Healthcare

Physicians may benefit from both peer support and coaching at different times in their careers:

• Peer Support involves people with lived experience of mental health, social, psychological, or medical challenges helping others in similar situations to bring about positive personal change (1).
• Physician Coaching is a confidential relationship established for personal growth, professional development, and peak performance (2).

In many cases, a combination of both coaching and peer support provides the most comprehensive support system. By leveraging both resources when called for, we can improve our chances of sustaining a long, satisfying career.

Sources: 

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8855026/ 

2. https://surgeonmasters.com/coaching-services-physicians/