Helping Us Find Elusive Peace and Balance

Today on the podcast, Dr. Ryan Bayley describes his career as a professional development coach.

Professional Development Coach Ryan Bayley, MD

Dr. Ryan Bayley is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He holds an adjunct faculty position at the Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, his medical degree at Vanderbilt University, and his residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell).

Ryan is a Certified Professional Coach and has been providing professional development coaching for physicians and executives since 2013.

Background

After working in emergency services, first as a paramedic, and then as an EM physician, Ryan began to experience burnout. He engaged a coach to help him work through his options and found the experience to be life-changing. 

He made some drastic changes in his life to bring more balance and fulfillment. People noticed the change and began asking for help with their burnout and job frustration. He found himself using the same coaching techniques he had learned to help others.

At first, he gave advice. But when he saw how large the need was for coaching, he couldn’t help but feel that he should explore becoming a physician coach himself.

He ultimately pursued coaching as a full-time career. He is a certified coach, and he continues to study coaching methods. Access his expertise by going to his website at RYAN BAYLEY, M.D.

During our interview, Ryan provided a nice description of his approach to coaching. He generally meets virtually (using Skype) with his clients every 2 weeks for 6 to 12 months. Some clients are facing burnout and reassessing their career objectives. Others are trying to accelerate their career advancement.

Burnout

We spent several minutes discussing different aspects of burnout. There are multiple reasons why physicians may experience burnout:

  • The work isn’t what they thought it would be.
  • Their lifestyle may have changed in a way that makes it more challenging for spouses and raising a family.
  • Boredom can creep in. Physicians are typically accustomed to constant learning and new challenges. However, medical practice can sometimes become tedious.
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About 80% of the physicians he works with find a way to address burnout without leaving clinical medicine. That is very encouraging to me.

“Coaching is just not developed in medicine. But it’s used extensively in business and finance and law.”

Ryan Bayley, MD

Speaking Engagements

In addition to coaching, Ryan speaks on topics related to burnout and physician wellness. He noted that a few large healthcare organizations have developed programs to address burnout. But there are still many that have not invested significant resources in this area.

He also speaks on other topics like mindfulness, perfectionism in medicine, and other techniques physicians can use to increase their enjoyment at work.

Links for today’s episode:

Learn more about Ryan, set up an introductory coaching session, or arrange a speaking engagement:

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Thanks again for listening. I hope to see you next time on Physician NonClinical Careers.

As always, I welcome your comments and feedback.

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Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton.