The PREGNANT (Pregnant Resident Empowerment, GuidaNce, and Advocacy iN Training) Coaching Project
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Coaching Program.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Burnout, Professional, Well-Being, Psychological, Imposter Phenomenon, Self Efficacy. Basic parameters: from 18 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
This is a mixed-methods study designed to develop and evaluate an innovative coaching program for physician trainee mothers. Approximately 48 participants will be recruited from informational flyers posted in resident work areas and distributed by program directors and GME. Interested participants will email study staff. Participants will be randomized to the control or intervention arm. Intervention participants will meet monthly with a novice physician coach of their choice (one-on-one) and a certified physician coach (with an assigned group of 6 peers through video-conferencing). Participants in both arms of the study will respond to surveys at three points: enrollment (baseline), 4 months, and 7 months. At each point, they will spend approximately 10 minutes filling the survey. The survey will query demographics, burnout, professional fulfillment, imposter phenomenon, self-valuation, self-efficacy, resilience, quality of life, and impact of work on professional relationships. The coaching intervention will last 4 months, and the 7 month survey will be used only to assess long-term effects of the intervention. At the conclusion of the study (7 months after enrollment), participants will be interviewed over video communication (secure Partners or Harvard Zoom) for approximately 30 minutes.
Detailed description
To bridge the gaps identified in traditional mentorship programs, the PREGNANT study aims to develop and evaluate a novel, 4-month coaching program tailored to the childbearing trainees. Professional coaching is one of the few interventions shown to be effective in reducing burnout by providing structured and unstructured discussions through active listening and goal setting. It is uniquely positioned to address gaps identified in the previous mentorship program, as it does not rely on shared experiences, offers a focused solution with clear objectives, and provides trainees the tools to sustainably reduce burnout by fostering resilience, self-efficacy, and self-compassion. Despite its efficacy, many coaching programs rely on resource-intensive, in-person interventions, which reduce accessibility for trainees and pose scalability challenges.To overcome these barriers, our pilot study draws on the success of two types of innovative programs: 1) those that increase number of available one-on-one coaches by training practicing physicians in coaching techniques so they can function as "novice coaches" and 2) web-based group coaching programs with asynchronous learning opportunities, led by certified physician coaches, ensuring accessibility for trainees regardless of geographical or scheduling constraints. Unlike traditional life-coaching interventions that use external non-physician consultants, this program will be delivered by physician coaches who understand the challenges, social hierarchy, and culture of medical training. This distinction ensures that coaching is relevant and contextualized to the realities faced by childbearing trainees, thereby enhancing its effectiveness and impact.
This initiative will purposively include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual identities (LGBTQ+) and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) trainee parents, who have been underrepresented in previous research on trainee parents and face barriers that make it harder to balance family life and training. LGBTQ+ parents often have fewer benefits and unique challenges, such as limited access to parental leave and more frequent use of assisted reproductive technology, while URiM parents face compounded challenges from the intersectionality of their identities.
The expected outcome of this project is the development of a structured, scalable coaching program that reduces burnout in childbearing trainees by integrating one-on-one coaching with community-building and group support. This program will have a significant positive impact on the clinical learning environment by enhancing its diversity, equity, and belonging while improving the well-being of a vulnerable population.
Interventions
- Behavioral Coaching Program
Novel, 4-month coaching program tailored to the childbearing trainees. This consists of 4 1:1 coaching sessions with a novice faculty coach and 4 group sessions with a certified coach.
Primary outcome measures
- Burnout [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
Secondary outcome measures (8)
- Burnout [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Professional fulfillment [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Imposter Phenomenon [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Self-valuation [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Self-efficacy [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Resilience [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Quality of life (QoL) [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
- Impact of Work on Personal Relationships [Time frame: Measured in survey data at 3 time points: Enrollment, month 4 and month 7 of study.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age 18 or older
- English fluency and literacy
- Resident or fellow level MD or DO trainee
- Pregnant or up to 3 months post-partum
Exclusion criteria
- Unable to provide consent.
- Unable to complete electronic surveys and video calls.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
United States · 2 centers
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston
- Brigham Women's Hospital — Boston
Publications
- Schlick CJR, Ellis RJ, Etkin CD, Greenberg CC, Greenberg JA, Turner PL, Buyske J, Hoyt DB, Nasca TJ, Bilimoria KY, Hu YY. Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Among Residents in General Surgery Programs Across the US. JAMA Surg. 2021 Oct 1;156(10):942-952. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3195. PMID 34319377
- Rangel EL, Smink DS, Castillo-Angeles M, Kwakye G, Changala M, Haider AH, Doherty GM. Pregnancy and Motherhood During Surgical Training. JAMA Surg. 2018 Jul 1;153(7):644-652. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.0153. PMID 29562068
- Li RD, Janczewski LM, Eng JS, Foote DC, Wu C, Johnson JK, Easter SR, Kim E, Buyske J, Turner PL, Nasca TJ, Bilimoria KY, Hu YY, Rangel EL. Pregnancy and Parenthood Among US Surgical Residents. JAMA Surg. 2024 Oct 1;159(10):1127-1137. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.2399. PMID 39018050
- Rowe SG, Stewart MT, Van Horne S, Pierre C, Wang H, Manukyan M, Bair-Merritt M, Lee-Parritz A, Rowe MP, Shanafelt T, Trockel M. Mistreatment Experiences, Protective Workplace Systems, and Occupational Distress in Physicians. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 May 2;5(5):e2210768. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.10768. PMID 35522279
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; National Academy of Medicine; Committee on Systems Approaches to Improve Patient Care by Supporting Clinician Well-Being. Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2019 Oct 23. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK552618/ PMID 31940160
- Sullivan MC, Bucholz EM, Yeo H, Roman SA, Bell RH, Sosa JA. "Join the club": effect of resident and attending social interactions on overall satisfaction among 4390 general surgery residents. Arch Surg. 2012 May;147(5):408-14. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2012.27. PMID 22785631
- Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD, Gill PR, Satele DV, West CP. Effect of a Professional Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2019 Oct 1;179(10):1406-1414. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2425. PMID 31380892
- Palamara K, McKinley SK, Chu JT, Merrill AL, Yu L, Parangi S, Makowski MS, Park YS, Donelan K, Stein SL. Impact of a Virtual Professional Development Coaching Program on the Professional Fulfillment and Well-Being of Women Surgery Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Surg. 2023 Feb 1;277(2):188-195. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005562. Epub 2022 Jun 29. PMID 35766397
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07221422 · 2025P000907