Starting a Coaching Practice as a Physician in 4 Steps

Coaching is one of the fastest growing industries, and a viable alternative option for doctors and medical professionals who want a clinically adjacent career.

Similarly, consulting is also a great way to repurpose your clinical, business, leadership, or technical knowledge in a clinical or non-clinical way.

Step 1: Consulting or Coaching?Enter heading here...

Coaching and consulting are great ways to repurpose and share your clinical, business, technical, or leadership knowledge. Either in a clinically adjacent topic or in a non-clinical theme.

What's the difference? Here's a quick - and very simplified - explanation:

Consulting:

A consultant analyzes the current situation and problem, develops a detailed strategy, presents you the tools, sources for research, and then send your your own way. Consultants are available for questions and review sessions.

Coaching:

Coaches have a more "holding your hand" approach. They will also provide you with resources, tools, a strategy and advice, but are next to you every step of the way.

Step 2: Defining Your PracticeEnter heading here...

Types of Practice:

• Pure Coach Model: Allows clients or patients to discover the answer for themselves, an exploration process.
• Hybrid Mentor/Coaching Model: Integrates discovery & brainstorming, with some advising, suggesting, and more sharing of resources.

How To Choose Your Type of Practice

• Focus on a specific area so you can distinguish yourself in a saturated market.
• Be clear about the problem that you want to solve.
• Be clear about who do you want to solve it for.
• Verify if the problem need solving. Does the people that you want to solve it for, consider a solution necessary?

Step 3: Educational Pathways 

Is some sort education necessary to become a coach, even when you are an expert in your skill?

The answer is yes. Help train others by getting trained first.

Do a Training

A training is highly essential. Doctors and coaches don't have the same approach. Certain skills need to be discovered and trained.

Choose the Type of Training

If you want to be a health coach, choose a specialized health coaching training. Same if you want to choose a path as an executive coach, business, coach, etc.

Certifying Bodies

While the International Coach Federation (www.coachfederation.org) is probably the most well-known, there are other reputable accreditation organizations:

• International Association of Coaching (IAC) www.certifiedcoaching.com
• American Board of Hypnotherapy and NLP (ABH NLP) www.abh-abnlp.com

Step 4: Things To Do Before Your Begin 

Before you jump in to the coaching business, make sure to make these three things:

#1 Expand your view, choose your path.

What can you do in the consulting world? As medical professionals we can get stuck in tunnel vision thinking that being a clinician is all that we can be. But when you pan out, you can see there is a lot more you have to offer.

#2 Investigate and test your product/ solution.

It's extremely important that you are crystal clear about the problem you are solving. Next, you have to verify that the people you want as clients actually NEED this problem solved.

Do your research, make sure your solution is a necessity, and test it.

#3 Find some guidance.

I strongly recommend that in the beginning, you work with someone. Someone who can help and guide you through the process of creating and correctly implementing all the procedures needed for success.

A coach/consultant to lead you the way to coaching/consulting.

If you want help starting your telemedicine, integrative medicine, coaching, consulting or cash based practice, let's get on a call. Schedule your FREE strategy session: