Transition to Residency Advantage Coaching Curriculum

A core element of our Transition to Residency Advantage (TRA) Program is the inclusion of a robust coaching model to guide learners who are making the transition from medical school to residency. In January 2020, NYU Langone launched a faculty development program focused on data-driven coaching practices that build off our faculty’s existing expertise as clinicians, educators, and mentors. The program is overseen by Abigail Winkel, MD, MHPE. To learn more about the program and future opportunities, email Greta Elysee at greta.elysee@nyulangone.org.

Our curriculum for coaches in the TRA Program at NYU Grossman School of Medicine consists of several modules.

Fundamentals of Coaching

The Fundamentals of Coaching module includes the following courses.

Introduction to Coaching in Medical Education

In this course, you learn how to differentiate between the role of coach, advisor, and mentor, and how these roles relate to each other in graduate medical education (GME); identify gaps in learning and professional development for the transitioning learner; and reflect on prior experiences of coaching and being coached.

Fostering Trust Through Active Listening and Powerful Questions

Coaches learn how to create safe spaces and establish trust with learners, differentiate between coaching and other forms of teaching and supporting learners in GME, and compose and critique the use of language and identify questions that can be used to engage learners during the coaching conversation.

Coaching Simulation and Role-Play (Group Objective Structured Clinical Examination)

Participants practice coaching techniques with standardized learners. Learning needs and particular challenges to coaching graduating medical students and new interns are identified.

Preparing for the Coaching Role

The Preparing for the Coaching Role module includes the following courses.

Transitioning to Independent Learning in Residency

This course focuses on identifying evidence-based learning techniques; reviewing specific learning knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the master adaptive learner; and creating a toolbox of techniques to coach learners to learn.

Strengths-Based Coaching

In this course, you participate in a self-assessment and reflection, reflect on strengths and consider how to use feedback for behavior change, and discuss benefits and risks of strengths-based coaching.

Interpreting Data for Informed Self-Assessment

Participants learn how to use the new TRA app and provide feedback to optimize the app in support of coaching sessions. You also take part in a goal-setting exercise using the SMART goal framework.

Theories of Change: Helping Learners Achieve Their Goals

We explore the theory behind immunity to change and identify the steps to help learners recognize and overcome barriers to learning, growth, and transformation. In addition, we draft a mission statement for the GME bridge coaching program.

The Needs and Goals of New Interns

The Needs and Goals of New Interns module includes the following courses.

Cultivating Resilience Through Adversity

We examine how resilience develops from engaging with adversity, discuss how imposter syndrome and issues of control and autonomy contribute to stress for residents, and identify both risk and protective factors for burnout and mental health problems in residents including imposter syndrome. We also discuss how wellbeing supports work engagement and a rewarding professional life.

Culture and Community

This course identifies how bias creates obstacles for learners based on gender, race, ethnicity, learning styles, and other factors; and examines how coaches can work to recognize unconscious bias and mitigate the impact of bias on the coaching relationship.

It Takes a Village: Optimizing TRA from the Trainee Perspective and Working with Support Systems

This course emphasizes and ensures that the TRA coaching program takes trainee perspective into account, and explores how interactions outside of the coaching relationship play a role in professional and personal development.

Coaching Community of Practice

After completing the courses, coaches participate in a Group Objective Structured Clinical Examination (GOSCE) to practice coaching with standardized learners for a formative assessment.