How physician coaching can enhance doctors’ career growth

According to a recent Sermo poll, 56% of physicians believe that pre-procedure coaching sessions could be used within their medical practice. Yet, 28% remain unsure whether the benefits would outweigh the challenges of implementation.¹

So why do some doctors remain hesitant? And what further assurances and resources do they need to embrace coaching more fully within their medical practice? 

This article uses Sermo poll data and direct quotes from our community of global physicians to explore the evolving role of medical coaching in modern healthcare, its tangible value and the barriers still holding it back.

What is physician pre-procedure coaching and why does it matter?

Pre-production coaching, which is also known as just-in-time (JIT) training, involves giving physicians short, targeted training on specific procedures. It’s usually given just before they carry out particularly high-risk or rarely performed surgeries.²

Unlike traditional training or doctor mentorship programs, which focus on long-term education on general improvement, JIT is short-term and focuses on a specific task at hand. It’s focused, timely and depends on the situation to give physicians immediate support only where they most need it.

The need for JIT is motivated by many physicians having a lack of experience and exposure to specific procedures. In these scenarios, 80% of physicians in this Sermo poll said that infrequent practice impacts their confidence or performance:

• 28% said it affected them frequently
• 52% said occasionally¹

Indeed, pre-procedure coaching gives physicians an immediate confidence boost within high-stakes situations. The results speak for themselves:

• Higher first-attempt success rates: One example study within pediatrics showed that inexperienced clinicians who received coaching before infant intubation saw a 91.4% first-attempt success rate, compared to 81.6% without coaching. Similarly, resident physicians improved from 81.4% to 93% with pre-procedure training.³
• Reduced mental strain for fewer errors: JIT coaching has been shown to lighten the mental burden during stressful procedures, giving physicians more confidence to focus.² In one example, ultrasound-guided pre-procedure training improved vascular access success rates from 56% to 88%.⁴
• More efficient working practices: Coaching sessions as brief as 10 minutes can be integrated into practice without causing delays.² For example, microlearning formats, such as videos or tip sheets, have been shown to be in demand by 93% of physicians in a recent survey.⁵
• Saving costs: Education before operating has also been shown to cut ICU stays and hospitalizations, which can ease the burden on the wider healthcare system.⁶

While pre-procedure JIT doesn’t replace the value of long-term experience or mentorship, it complements both by offering timely reinforcement when it matters most. 

What types of coaching do physicians find most valuable?

According to a Sermo poll, 45% of physicians agree that pre-procedure coaching is most valuable for high-risk, low-frequency procedures, such as pediatric intubations or rare surgeries.¹ These are often the procedures where clinicians feel the most pressure to perform perfectly yet don’t have the benefit of regular practice.

22% of physicians in the poll believe routine procedures would benefit from coaching as well.¹ Even in familiar situations, there’s value in building confidence, assuring quality and reinforcing best practice. As one key insight from the data suggests, this demand reflects not just a need for technical support but a desire for emotional reassurance and professional accountability.

Emergency interventions (20%) also stood out as another high-value area.¹ In time-critical situations, decision-making speed and procedural accuracy are paramount. Coaching in these contexts can improve preparedness and support better outcomes under pressure.

Interestingly, 9% of Sermo physicians highlighted non-procedural areas like diagnostic decision-making and patient communication as ripe for coaching.¹ This is important because performance isn’t just about clinical skills. Physicians increasingly recognize the impact of soft skills on outcomes and coaching may help address blind spots in these areas.

A Sermo member working in Anesthesiology commented: “My hospital isn’t pediatric, but in the emergency room, they can, based on the degree of urgency, admit children. I intubated children when I worked in a hospital where ENT surgery was practiced but in the operating room and not in emergency. I’d like to fill this gap.⁷”The comment reflects the notion that physicians want to close gaps in their own training. Coaching offers a safe, supportive framework to self-identify and address these gaps, even when formal training opportunities are limited.

What’s preventing the adoption of pre-procedure physician coaching?

Despite increasingly common examples of its benefits, pre-procedure coaching isn’t yet a widespread practice across healthcare.

According to a Sermo poll, the top barrier to JIT being used is a reluctance to change pre-existing workflows, which was cited by 26% of physicians.¹ Many healthcare practices have defined routines that, if even slightly changed, can feel disruptive. This highlights that adoption of JIT is as much cultural as logistical, and support to get these programs off the ground requires buy-in from everyone in a care team.

Time pressure is another significant concern. With 24% of physicians citing limited time between procedures as a barrier,¹ it’s clear that even short interventions like just-in-time coaching can feel unmanageable in high-volume environments. For coaching to succeed, it must be fast, practical and integrated into existing workflows; not be an extra burden.

There’s also a shortage of trained coaches. One in five physicians said the lack of experienced clinicians to deliver coaching is a limiting factor¹. While the demand is there, the infrastructure isn’t, which highlights the need for formal coach training or scalable digital alternatives.

Cost and skepticism also play a role. 19% of physicians on Sermo raised concerns about resource allocation and 11% expressed doubt about coaching’s effectiveness.¹ Without clear, evidence-based outcomes, decision-makers may struggle to justify investment.

As one Sermo member and physician in Family Medicine put it, “I do feel that coaching could enhance outcomes, but experience leads to having solutions when all hell breaks loose.⁷” For many, coaching may offer a way to expand that experience safely to support more confident, capable decisions in the moments that matter most.

How to implement pre-procedure coaching to be most effective?

To successfully implement just-in-time (JIT) coaching, several structural supports need to be in place. When asked what would help make coaching more feasible, Sermo physicians had clear answers:

• Coach training programs (27%)¹: There’s demand for a more formal structure. Senior clinicians need to be equipped not just with technical expertise but with the skills to coach effectively.
• Scheduling flexibility (21%)¹: Without dedicated time, coaching remains aspirational. Protected time slots could enable practical adoption without disrupting care delivery.
• Evidence and outcomes data (22%)¹: More physicians want to see hard data on cost-effectiveness and patient outcomes. Building this evidence base is key to wider institutional support.
• Technology as a supplement (16%)¹: Virtual coaching tools and AI-driven support are welcome but not yet a central solution. They’re viewed as useful add-ons to human-led coaching.
• Organizational policy change (13%)¹: Culture and policy must align. Coaching will only thrive when it’s prioritized at the organizational level, not left to individual motivation.

From training coaches and allocating time to demonstrating measurable outcomes and embedding coaching into policy, the path to success lies in treating coaching as a critical component of clinical practice. With the right infrastructure in place, coaching can become a scalable, sustainable tool for improving performance, confidence and patient care.

Your takeaway

Pre-procedure coaching is emerging as a practical response to the daily pressures physicians face – particularly time constraints, infrequent procedures and the emotional weight of high-stakes decisions. When done right, coaching improves confidence, reduces errors, fits into existing workflows and even cuts costs.

However, many physicians still fail to implement it in their practice. Why? This kind of training doesn’t yet have the widespread institutional support it needs, and without trained leaders, protected time and proof of its value, its foothold remains small. This struggle isn’t about resistance to the concept but about the lack of structures to make it feel like a realistic option.

With the right setup, JIT can support, not interrupt, physicians’ ability to care for their patients. It can be the quiet intervention that helps a junior doctor succeed in a rare procedure or the reassurance a seasoned physician needs in a high-pressure moment. 

In a profession built on trust, preparation and precision, pre-procedure coaching offers a clear path to safer, more confident practice. As one physician in Family Medicine put it best, pre-production coaching “seems like common sense to me.⁷”

Join the conversation on Sermo

Join 1+ million global physicians on Sermo: a private, verified community where doctors share real-world experiences, debate clinical practices and shape the future of medicine.

Doctors can try it for themselves today and begin to contribute insights via surveys, case studies and discussions on current topics with doctors worldwide.

1. Sermo, 2024. Poll of the Week: Volume 230 – The case for coaching: lessons medicine can learn from pop stars and quarterbacks [Poll]. Sermo Community.
2. BMJ Group, 2024. Coaching trainees just before a procedure could improve patient safety.
3. Flynn S G, Park R S, Jena A B, Staffa S J, Kim S Y, Clarke J D et al. Coaching inexperienced clinicians before a high stakes medical procedure: randomized clinical trial BMJ 2024; 387 :e080924 doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-080924
4. W. Schummer, J. A. Köditz, C. Schelenz, K. Reinhart, S. G. Sakka, Pre-procedure ultrasound increases the success and safety of central venous catheterization, BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, Volume 113, Issue 1, July 2014, Pages 122–129
5. 314e Corporation, 2024. The Ultimate Guide to Just-in-Time Training for Healthcare Leaders.
6. Ng SX, Wang W, Shen Q, Toh ZA, He HG. The effectiveness of preoperative education interventions on improving perioperative outcomes of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2022 Aug 29;21(6):521-536. doi: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvab123. PMID: 34964470.
7. Sermo member, 2024. Comment on Poll of the Week: Volume 230 – The case for coaching: lessons medicine can learn from pop stars and quarterbacks [Poll]. Sermo Community [Private online forum].