Clinician wellbeing is the sense of fulfillment or satisfaction that one derives
from their role as a clinician, often accompanied by the experience of:

• meaning (purpose)
• value (self-worth)
• competence (self-efficacy)
• autonomy (self-directed)
• belonging (social connectedness).

Clinician wellbeing is associated with more efficient and effective patient care,
higher patient satisfaction, better patient outcomes, better relationships with
colleagues, and more sustainable healthcare organizations (clinics, medical
centres, and hospitals).

To a certain degree, stress, time pressure, long hours, and emotional challenges
are an expected part of clinical work. However, it is the presence of positive
emotions – pride, gratitude, excitement, enthusiasm, happiness, fulfillment,
relatedness/belonging, and self-worth – that builds clinician resilience to cope
with stressors both physically and mentally.

The drivers of clinician wellbeing - meaning, value. Competence, autonomy, and
belonging – may be universal, but the challenges to individual clinician wellbeing
vary by discipline, specialty, unit/team, organization, and healthcare system.
Consequently, standardized interventions to support clinician wellbeing may be
at best ineffective, and at worst, may do more harm than good. Interventions to
improve clinician wellbeing must be tailored to the individual, group, and
organization involved.

Clinician coaching is an individualised approach to the promotion of clinician
wellbeing. One-to-one coaching or clinical group coaching aims to identify local
barriers to clinician wellbeing and individually-tailored solutions that build on
clinicians’ existing strengths and talents. Clinician wellbeing coaching identifies
on factors that are under clinicians’ control, including beliefs, thoughts, and
emotional responses to daily “hassles and uplifts” at work. The goal of wellbeing
coaching is to reignite clinicians’ purpose and passion for patient care.

Dr Ashton-James provides clinician wellbeing coaching to individuals or groups,
either in person or online (using video conferencing and web-based interactive
group seminars). Please get in touch to learn more.