In sports, you can find a long list of great coaches.  Some are household names like Bill Belichick or Joe Torre.  Colleges have a long legacy of coaching, good or bad.  Some famous college coaches combine good and bad – think Bobby Knight or Joe Paterno.  Some coaches employ their unique personal philosophies into their coaching relationships.  Phil Jackson is known for weaving Buddhism into his relationships with his NBA basketball players. There’s a paucity of women coaches in professional sports. In college sports, many women’s teams have male coaches.  One female coach who pops into mind is Pat Summitt.  Pat is now retired.  At Tennessee, she was known for her icy stare and razor tongue.  She was also one of the most successful coaches in women’s college basketball.

I coached my kid’s baseball teams over the years.  Having a solid background in ‘Child Growth and Development’ helped a lot. These days, volunteer coaches of children’s sports are often required to attend sessions on coaching.  These sessions can include training in the psychology of sport, first aid, conflict resolution, crowd control and other important topics.

Nurses and therapists are coaches too. The role of coach has become very important in this golden age of self-care, aging in place, and finite resources.  Whether you are a nurse manager who coaches nurses or a nurse who coaches patients, embracing the art and science of coaching is a must! The reality is, as clinicians, we will need to rely on our ability to coach our patients and their families more and more in the future.

The CHAMP Program is offering a new online course, Techniques for Improved Clinical Coaching.  Over the past year we’ve gathered the latest evidence, convened experts in the field, and worked hard to create a meaningful course in clinical coaching. I know it will help make you a better clinician.  Just click here to find out more about the course and start your journey into the Coaching Hall of Fame!

Debra Bertrand, CHAMP Facilitator