Feeling herself inching toward burnout, Dr. Weyant requested a six-month sabbatical in 1997. Then she did something far more commonly accepted in business, sports and entertainment circles than in medicine. She hired a career coach to help her sort out options.

"Coach" has evolved into a buzzword that refers to a distinctly '90s-style profession. Coaches are not practice consultants, therapists or best friends. They won't review ledgers or observe staff to suggest ways to enhance efficiency. Rather, coaches are the latest twist in self-improvement. Much like personal trainers, they work intensively one-on-one with their clients to help them determine how to create more satisfying lives. The most effective coaches demand accountability and results.…

But Dr. Weyant is aware of the pitfalls. "A female physician who works part-time faces the criticism she will be taken less seriously and has less of a knowledge base," she said. "It will be difficult to reconcile that and not take on more just to feel like a colleague."

Physicians increasingly seek help from coaches
According to the International Coach Federation, a trade organization in Angel Fire, New Mexico, there are approximately 2,000 U.S. coaches, and the number is doubling annually. For this story, an informal poll of coaches who work exclusively with physicians indicated more than 1,000 physicians have sought advice from these "mentors for hire" in recent years.

"It will grow exponentially in the next four years when physicians realize their issues will not go away," predicted physician coach Peter Moskowitz, MD, a full-time radiologist and part-time operator of the Center for Personal and Professional Renewal, in Palo Alto, California.

Already, physicians on staff of some of the most prestigious medical facilities in the country have used coaches. Among them: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Mayo Clinic.…

How coaches work
Training methods vary in modality and duration from days or weeks of teleconferences and Internet instruction to workshop series to yearlong classroom curricula. None offers specific courses for physician coaching.

Coaches charge about $150 per hour to provide clients with a sounding board, a reality check, a perspective — and sometimes a swift kick to get them moving. Thus, the clients likely to benefit the most are those who can stand honest appraisals that cut to the chase.…

Sometimes coaching involves career tweaking, such as advice on how to deal with mergers and downsizing. In rare instances, a coach guides a complete career change.

Given the personal nature of the advice, it's ironic that some physicians never even meet their coaches face-to-face. In deference to doctors' busy schedules, some coaches work by phone and e-mail.…

Guidelines for considering coaching
"Doctors are suffering, yet it's very hard to get them off their duffs," agreed Dr. Mokowitz. "There's a certain degree of shame in admitting they don't know what to do, so they end up stuck."

…But many who make the first call heartily endorse the process. "It's changed my life completely," admitted "Dr. S.," a Midwest cardiac surgery chief of staff who used a coach for two years. He requested anonymity for this story.

Most physicians seek a coach after a wake-up call, like an illness, death of a partner or a parent or the breakup of a marriage.…

A common coaching principle is that one's personal and professional lives are interdependent. Thus, achieving harmony in each leads to less stress, more happiness and higher achievement potential.

A good coach maintains strict confidentiality, but it is important to know that coaches are not licensed or accredited beyond their own training certification programs. Selecting the right one is a process not unlike choosing the right pair of shoes — and not necessarily the first pair. Physicians looking for coaches should ask important questions, including: