Frequently Asked Questions

• $7,995 includes all of the costs for Physician Coach Training, including 1-on-1 mentor coaching.  

• There are additional fees associated with the ICF proctored exam and application. Find information about ICF fees here. 

Jeffrey M. Smith, MD, FACS, PCC is your Mentor Coach. He is a PCC coach. You can learn more about Jeff here.

We train to the ICF Core Competencies and ACC Bars of professional coaching. We introduce various models or tools that you are more than welcome to use in your coaching practice.  

• We address branding and the Ideal Client in module 7 - The Business of Coaching. There is no direct sales training included. It’s probably best to receive specialized sales training, but we can certainly provide basics, and in our experience, what works best. The ICF has great education on the Business of Coaching.  

• The ICF requires that 80% of the content be Core Curriculum coaching skill content during training. We chose to focus on coaching skills over resource development. 

The training consists of 60 hours, meeting the minimum requirement for ICF Level 1 programs. As a trainee, you also have ongoing access to our community practice coaching sessions, where you can ask questions, practice coaching, and receive coaching support. 

Approximately 90% of the program is dedicated to the ICF Core Competencies of coaching. While our presenters are physicians and some independent study materials are geared toward healthcare professionals, the coaching skills taught are universally applicable—regardless of client niche or whether the audience includes physicians. Most participants work in healthcare, so some examples reflect that context, but the competencies and techniques can be effectively applied across a wide range of coaching relationships.. 

• Live practice sessions are 1 hour long. The Education and Practice Coaching sessions are 2 hours and take place on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM ET and the third Sunday of each month at 8:00 PM ET.
• We will also schedule 1-hour practice coaching sessions for you to experience longer sessions.

In addition to completing the training program requirements, you will need to log 100 coaching hours—including at least 75 paid hours with a minimum of 8 clients—and pass a proctored exam administered by the ICF.

We are considering developing this, but the best source for CCE currently is the ICF by signing up for membership. I can walk you through this. 

• Jeffrey M. Smith, MD, FACS, PCC, and Carla Smith, MD, PhD, ACC, are both ICF-accredited.  

• I am the operational support lead and organizational liaison to the ICF. I am not an active coach at this time, but I have been trained in the model.

• 55 credit hours of Core Competency content and 5 credit hours of Resource Development. 

• The ICF Core Competencies: “The Foundation of Transformative Coaching - At the heart of every impactful coaching relationship lies the ICF Core Competencies — guiding principles that shape the coaching journey. Whether you're new to coaching or an experienced professional, these competencies set the gold standard for what it means to co-create meaningful, transformative results with your clients.” 

• The backgrounds of the participants vary. We have had family physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, OBGYN, etc. Here are some of our coaches who also went through coaching: 

• Muyibat Adelani, MD, Orthopaedic Joint Surgeon - was coached before starting coach training. 

• Carla Smith, PhD, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon, and Leadership - coached in a different model in a physician organization. 

• Richard Korentager, MD, Academic Plastic Surgeon - leader and some internal coaching education at the University of Kansas before training.  

• Steven Swanson, MD, MBA, Neurosurgeon and CMO at Medtronic - is a consultant and wanted to add coaching skills to his repertoire. 

• Yes, Jeffrey M. Smith, MD, FACS, PCC, is your mentor coach.  

• “Mentor Coaching for an ICF Credential consists of coaching and feedback in a collaborative, appreciative and dialogued process based on an observed or recorded coaching session to increase the coach’s capability in coaching, in alignment with the ICF Core Competencies.” 

• The Physician Coach Training Process:  

• 7 Group Mentor Coaching Sessions -  ICF Core Competencies education session and practice coaching in preparation for the coaching exam. 

• 3 One-On-One Mentor Coaching Sessions - Coaching session with verbal ICF feedback to prepare for the ICF coaching exam.   

• ICF Written and Verbal Feedback - Review of coaching sessions by an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), including a transcript and time-stamped feedback on what the coach did well and what they can improve, aligned with the ICF Core Competencies. 

Module 7 is the business of coaching, and we provide resources at that point. We also share resources from time to time to support business development as they become available.