Key Points Question Can a 6-month online group-coaching program targeted for various learning styles reduce burnout, moral injury, and impostor syndrome and increase self-compassion among female resident physicians? Findings In this pilot randomized clinical trial of 101 female resident physicians, participants who were randomly assigned to a 6-month group-coaching program and a follow-up survey had a statistically significant reduction in the emotional exhaustion subscale of burnout compared with the control group. Meaning An online multiformat group-coaching program may be an effective intervention to decrease burnout and improve well-being for female resident physicians.

Background Trainees in graduate medical education are affected by burnout at disproportionate rates. Trainees experience tremendous growth in clinical skills and reasoning, however little time is dedicated to metacognition to process their experiences or deliberate identity formation to create individualized definitions of success and wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives and experiences of trainees who participated in a 6-month, web-based, group coaching program for women residents in training. Methods Better Together Physician Coaching is a six-month, self-paced, online, asynchronous, coaching program with multiple components including live coaching calls, unlimited written coaching, and self-study modules. Semi-structured interviews of seventeen participants of Better Together from twelve GME programs within a single institution in Colorado were conducted from May to June of 2021. All identified as women and had participated in a 6-month coaching program. Both inductive and deductive methods were used in collecting and analyzing the data with an aim to understand learners’ perceptions of the coaching program, including “how and why” the coaching program affected training experiences and wellbeing. Results Three main themes emerged as benefits to the coaching program from the data: 1) practicing metacognition as a tool for healthy coping 2) building a sense of community, and 3) the value of a customizable experience. Conclusions Female trainees who participated in a group coaching program expressed that they found value in learning how to cope with stressors through metacognition-focused coaching. They also described that building a community and being able to customize the experience were positive aspects of the program. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05280964. Date of registration: March 15th 2022. Retrospectively registered. URL of trial registry record.