Physician Coaching or Mentoring: What’s the Difference?
As a physician coach, I am often asked to explain the difference between coaching and mentoring. It’s an important question, because both options are designed to get you from one place in your professional life to another. And sometimes a combination of both coaching and mentoring can be helpful. But the differences are substantial.
The main difference is this: A mentor generally acts as an advisor. Since they usually have seniority and deeper experience in your area of interest, it is assumed that they know the right path to take. A coach does not give you the answers, but will collaborate with you to help you find and follow your own path. While a coach will not tell you what to do next, a coach will help you uncover your own answers.
In coaching, we work on setting goals that are meaningful and actionable for you. Coaching takes into account your personal values and ideals, as well as your current life situation. As a coach, I will guide you to create a series of steps that will get you to the goal, but with the understanding that the desired outcome may change over time. I will also hold you accountable through the stages of planning, commitment, and execution.
Although I have experienced many of the same challenges as other physicians, one important lesson I have learned as a coach is that the right answer for any given person is not always the answer that I would have expected. What is right for one person may not be so for another. The process requires openness and equanimity from the coach, and is one of the aspects of coaching that I find especially meaningful.
Mentorship is different. If you seek a mentor, your end result is defined and specific. Your mentor can probably outline the steps you need to attain a specific skill or position, and will help you avoid common pitfalls. Mentorship tends to be a long-term process that may evolve over several years.
Having a mentor can be especially beneficial for someone in the earlier stages of their professional life. Mentors are often people in the same specialty, and the relationship is typically hierarchical and career-focused. For instance, a cardiologist may choose a mentor with years of experience and professional innovation in a specific procedure of interest. A surgeon may look to someone with extensive expertise in a niche specialty. Or a primary care physician may seek a more seasoned mentor to help build a practice.
As a coach, my specialty is less important than my ability to guide you to find your own plan of action.
That’s not to say that as a coach I can’t offer my perspective. I graduated from medical school in 1988 and practiced cardiology full time until 2022. Over those years, I accumulated a wide range of experience with the same issues that many physicians encounter in medical practice. I really want to focus on you, and what is most important for you. But if you have specific questions for me, I’m happy to share my experience. And if there is something that concerns me about a choice you are making, I will definitely let you know.
While coaching and mentoring are distinct modalities, it's important to note that they are not mutually exclusive. Some physicians may benefit from both coaching and mentoring, depending on their specific needs and the phase of their professional life.
If you have further questions about coaching and how it might work for you, please contact me through the website, or schedule your complimentary 30 minute discovery session.