Cathy Liska 
A hospital was sold and the new administration focused on improving patient care and satisfaction. In the process, the hospital did surveys asking patients to evaluate their care and the service. As a result, the administration chose to focus on improving the interactions between the doctors and the patients.
After researching a number of different training options, the administration chose to go with teaching the doctors coaching skills because it covered the range of skills necessary. Specifically, coach training developed competencies in these essential areas:
- Understanding and interacting effectively with different personalities
- Listening
- Clear, direct, respectful language that works
- Developing rapport
- Creating focus for changing habits impacting health
- Powerful questioning
Following the training program for the doctors, the hospital coordinated follow-up coaching for each of the doctors.
While initially hesitant, the doctors rated the coach training and the follow-up coaching highly. The patient surveys demonstrated that the impact was worth it – the patients expressed that they now felt heard and understood, they were comfortable talking with their doctors, and they felt their overall experience was better than expected.
As a result of training their doctors on coaching skills and tracking the impact on patients, the hospital expanded the coach training to include their management staff and all medical staff that worked with patients.
