DGIM Generally Speaking

Coaching Corner: Catching up with DGIM Coaching Expert Kerri Palamara McGrath

Faculty Coaching is one of the many ways the DGIM works to help our faculty achieve personal and professional fulfillment. Mary McNaughton Collins, Director, DGIM Faculty and Staff Career and Professional Development, recently touched base with Kerri Palamara McGrath, MD, DGIM’s coaching expert, to discuss the ongoing coaching initiatives in DGIM and what’s on the horizon. Enjoy! 

Mary McNaughton Collins (MMC): As our DGIM Faculty Coaching expert, can you tell us a bit about you and your career path?

Kerri Palamara McGrath (KPG): Of course! I come from a large family and played sports my whole life, so teamwork and enhancing connections between people have long been a part of my life. Primary care and medical education always felt like the best fit for authentically incorporating who I am as a person with how I practice medicine and pursue my career. I love the professional identity formation process, which drew me to residency education, and in particular, helping others find their path in primary care and general internal medicine. I became interested in coaching when I realized how hard this process can be – figuring out who you are, what you love to do, and how to make sure those themes are central in your career path. Coaching really spoke to me as a way to empower physicians while they navigate the systems issues that can get us tripped up and connect with what brings them joy in practice. 

MMC: What were the 1 or 2 main takeaways from your DGIM Faculty Coaching Pilot Study?

KPG: The main takeaways for me were that physicians were really seeking connections with other physicians, either through being a coach, being coached, or both. One might think that if you are experiencing burnout you don’t have time for such activities, but I was struck by the fact that many people who signed up to coach came seeking a relief from their isolation and burnout, through helping others. The biggest thing we learned that will inform our next steps is that peer dyads are a successful approach, but there is more than one way to structure that relationship, based on the need of the individual DGIM member. 

MMC: What are you most proud of about your DGIM Faculty Coaching Pilot Study?

KPG: First and foremost, I am most proud that we engaged and connected so many members of the division in thinking about what brings them joy in practice, what are the stressors on their work/life integration, and envisioning what success would look like for them. Secondly, I am proud of the commitment the coaches showed in trying something new and committing to helping their colleagues. 

MMC: What are your hopes and dreams for this next phase of your DGIM Faculty Coaching Program? Perhaps you could briefly describe the 3 initiatives that you have planned.

KPG: Our plan is to further integrate principles of positive psychology and coaching into various levels of the division, from leadership to individuals. We’d also like to make coaching more accessible without needing to engage in a longitudinal program, but rather on a “prn” basis. We intend to achieve this in 3 ways:

1. Leadership coaching program for Primary Care Team Leaders – I will be working with PCTLs to design a leadership coaching curriculum, with the goal of creating a positive workplace environment that cultivates well-being, meaning, engagement, and joy in practice
2. DGIM Peer Coaching – we will be recruiting DGIM members to engage in a peer coaching dyad model, where you and a fellow DGIM member receive training in positive psychology and are matched up to coach each other. Ideally, you’d grab lunch, a cup of coffee, or go for a walk where you would each have time to provide coaching for the other and receive coaching yourself. In addition, using our cadre of trained DGIM coaches, we will provide a “prn” coaching opportunity for DGIM members in need of coaching on a specific topic, personal or professional. This may involve 1 meeting, or several meetings, based on the identified need. 
3. Deployment of Positive Psychology Coaching to DGIM members – I will facilitate group sessions to connect faculty around meaning, engagement, purpose, and joy in their work at practice-level meetings. 

MMC: How will your focus on Leadership Coaching for Primary Care Team Leaders (positively) impact the rest of the DGIM faculty and staff – do you see a ripple effect in your work?

KPG: Belief in leadership is directly linked to physician burnout, workplace satisfaction and likelihood to leave or change your role (in positive and negative ways). The hope is that by training PCTLs in the communication and leadership skills necessary to create a positive workplace culture, individuals in those practices will feel supported, empowered, engaged, and connected. This will lead to better teamwork, patient care, and well-being of members of the team if done well.  

MMC: The DGIM has an initiative to provide Annual Career Conferences (ACC) for 100% of the faculty, do you see your work on leadership coaching dovetailing with this ACC initiative? 

KPG: Absolutely. If practice leaders use a positive psychology coaching approach to ACCs, faculty will be encouraged to envision their best self, identify goals linked to their intrinsic motivations, and roadmaps to achieve them. Additionally, areas for growth or greater support will be identified, and referrals to DGIM coaches can be made. If done well, this approach can change ACCs from checking a box to being a support mechanism to dream big and find creative solutions to problems and challenges.

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If you have any suggestions, please reach out to Kerri Palamara McGrath (KPALAMARA@PARTNERS.ORG). Also, keep an eye out for her column in future editions of Generally Speaking.

Read more articles from the Winter 2018 edition of Generally Speaking