Can We Coach Resilience? An Evaluation of Professional Resilience Coaching as a Well-Being Initiative for Surgical Interns
Abstract
Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a professionally trained, resilience coach for surgical interns.Design Mixed-methods study with pre- and postcoaching quantitative surveys measuring burnout and resilience factors and semistructured interviews.Setting General, Vascular, Cardiac, Plastic, and Urologic Surgery residencies at a tertiary academic center.Participants Categorical and preliminary interns (N = 25) participated in a year-long, 8-session resilience coaching program for the academic year 2018 to 2019.Results Program participants included 17 (68%) men and 8 (32%) women. The precoaching survey administered to interns before the start of the program identified 60% at risk of burnout as measured by the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. The mean (standard deviation) Brief Resilience Scale score was 3.8 (0.8), with a trend toward a higher score (greater resilience) among men compared to women (4.1 [0.7] vs 3.4 [1.0], p = 0.10). Following the completion of the coaching program, the mean (standard deviation) Brief Resilience Scale score increased significantly from 3.8 [0.8] to 4.2 [0.7] p = 0.002). There were no changes in other parameters measuring burnout, satisfaction with life, or positive/negative affect. In semistructured interviews (N = 16/25 participants), most interns believed the coaching experience provided useful skills, but expressed concern about the durability of a 1-year intervention. Additionally, leadership-driven wellness at work, including optimizing team dynamics and purpose-driven engagement, were emphasized.Conclusions About 60% of new interns at our institution were at risk of burnout. The coaching program was viewed positively and was effective in improving resilience. While this intervention was a useful first step, it should be incorporated into a longitudinal wellness program for the duration of surgical training.
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Resident/fellow dedicated time for coaching is a resident/fellow success factor.
“| Resident/fellow | Resident/fellow dedicated time for coaching | [72,96,126] | |”
From Coaching in undergraduate and graduate medical education: a scoping review of success factors, barriers, and outcomes (2026) · cites this paper as [126]
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- Authors
- Song, Y., Swendiman, R. A., Shannon, A. B., Torres-Landa, S., Khan, F. N., Williams, N. N., Dumon, K. R., Brooks, A. D., DeMatteo, R. P., & Aarons, C. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Aarons, Cary B.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Surgical Education
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-11
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1481-1489
- ISSN
- 1878-7452 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-7204
- OpenAlex
- W3028497869
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 6.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of surgical education (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Coaching Methods and Impact
- Keywords
- burnout, surgical interns, residency training, well-being, resilience, Brief Resilience Scale, gender differences, team dynamics, wellness programs
- MeSH terms
- Mentoring, Burnout, Professional, Female, Health Personnel, Humans, Internship and Residency, Male, Personal Satisfaction
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