By Megan M. Krischke, contributor
“What are you doing to care for yourself?” is often the first question Phyllis S. Quinlan, RNC, MS, asks the nurses who call her company, MFW Consultants to Professionals, seeking RN-specific personal coaching.
Brenda Ward, Ph.D., RN, believes that nurse coaching is distinct and separate from mentoring—she says it is a self-development process.
“The silence on the line that follows is always what concerns me. But, at the same time, if a nurse is calling me, she is doing something for herself,” Quinlan said
Dr. Brenda Ward, PhD, RN, who founded Bren-Barr Associates, Inc., also offers RN-specific personal coaching. Both are based in New York and the two say they are the only people they know of offering RN-specific coaching services.
“Coaching is not a clinical, therapeutic, or medical process,” Quinlan explained. “It is based on wellness. We assume that the person seeking the coaching is a healthy, intact individual—someone who is already competent and capable but who needs a sounding board, encouragement and empowerment.”
“Generally, the people who benefit most from coaching are those who already have a significant level of competence but who want to explore other areas of nursing,” Ward added. “We help that individual look at themselves, their skills and potential and determine realistically where they would like to go and to grow. We help nurses work out a plan that is tailored to their specific needs and the steps they need to take to achieve their goals. Sometimes we need to change the order of their steps or add a step that is missing.”
Coaching isn’t just for nurses who are seeking a professional change. It is also for nurses in the midst of such a transition, to assist them in learning how to deal with the stresses of transitioning from being an expert in their previous role to being a student in the new one they are pursuing.
The degree of coaching is also tailored to individual needs. Sessions can be 30 to 60 minutes in duration, conducted in person, over the phone, or via e-mail, and can be held at weekly or monthly intervals. In an initial session, coaches want to find out experience level, the area of nursing practice and to hear an overview of the situation the nurse is facing or the things he or she believes are causing them stress or burnout. Recognizing the root cause of the problem is key to being able to deal with any issue.
Phyllis S. Quinlan, RNC, MS, provides RN-specific personal coaching to nurses who need her help.
“People generally do not require years of coaching,” Quinlan said. “The length of time usually depends on the complexity of the goal.”
“Coaching is distinct and separate from mentoring—it is a self-development process,” Ward said. “ We often find that nurses who have been working in one position for a long time sometimes do not see where or how they can advance. As a result, they leave to go to other industries where they feel their skills are more valued and where there is a clear path for advancement. Through coaching, we are trying to keep more nurses within the profession. Professional nursing leaders can take a good look at the direction in which the profession is going and embrace the use of coaches to retain nurses.”
Along those lines, Quinlan believes hospital human resource departments should consider making coaching part of their benefit package because the cost of recruiting and training a new person to fill a vacated position can have a cost equal to a nurse’s annual salary. Quinlan particularly recommends providing coaching for middle managers who are living with one foot in patient care and the other in management. Ward also sees coaching as being valuable to middle managers because it offers them support in dealing with the business politics aspect of the practice environment.
“Coaching isn’t done in a public setting. It is private and one-on-one. Nurses can be comfortable sharing their strengths and weaknesses and fears, knowing that we will use the information in a productive manner,” Ward explained. “They do not have to feel threatened because they know what they share will be used to their benefit and doesn’t threaten the security of their job.”
“Nurses do not usually reach out for help for themselves because they are such nurturers and givers. They could take a lesson from the airlines, ‘Put on your own oxygen mask first.’ Coaching is a way to get that oxygen.” Quinlan concluded.
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