Throughout residency, I frequently described myself as “crispier than a charcoal briquet.” I knew that I needed to finish residency to achieve the goals I wanted for my overall life, but I hated the national institution that took away so much of my freedom. The COVID pandemic only exacerbated this dissonance, as I saw residents being conscripted to work COVID ICUs with little option to decline.
During these tumultuous months, I became certified as a life coach because I wanted to help others who were stuck in the same trap. Part of coaching involves reframing thoughts and delving deeper into the actions that result from those thoughts. But my true strength as a coach stems from marrying the life coach training with my hard-earned experience as a resident and chief.
Certainly, as a family med doc, I am already well versed in validating feelings and crafting realistic and approachable behavior changes. But, I’ve also been through the trenches and share your nearly palpable rage at an outdated system that forgets we too are human.
Burnout is a major healthcare crisis because it has our talented trainees leaving the workforce in droves. Some are even leaving the world entirely.
Currently, I offer private 1:1 sessions over Zoom with a price of $50 for 30 minutes. This is drastically less than most physician coaching programs, which often start in the low thousands and just keep climbing. Many of my clients are medical trainees, for whom a price like that would be prohibitively expensive. My mission is to improve the lives of medical trainees, not drain their bank accounts.
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Studies upon studies are now showing the benefits of physician coaching, including reduced burnout (e.g., Fainstad et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 May 2;5(5):e2210752). This is fantastic, because hopefully that will lead more institutions to offer or pay for coaching. But what’s more important to you is your personal N of 1. As a coach, it is important to me that I meet you where you are, and we work towards achieving what you want. That may be dreading a service less, letting yourself truly rest on a day off, or figuring out your escape plan.
Dr. Walker is a fantastic physician coach! Whether you are facing symptoms of anxiety, burnout, depression or imposter syndrome, talking to someone who knows the unique challenges that physicians face is invaluable. She carefully works to address the issues that may be holding you back personally or professionally. From experience as a coachee, I would recommend her highly and without reservation!
