Coaching Tips for EM Education Part 5: Attitude is the Fuel, Effort is the Flame! Turn it up...

Coach Woodenism for the Week: "Never cease trying to be the very best you can become - Effort is the ultimate measure of success. I required the same in every practice, nothing less than their best effort. And I always gave the same."

This month we will discuss the second Effort cornerstone of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success applied to EM. Many educators mistakenly think that Attitude and Effort can not be taught. Comfortably preferring  to say that these cornerstones are only learned before medical training even begins. By the time the trainee arrives in the trench, Attitude and Effort are either present or absent. After a decade of training hundreds of medical students, residents, fellows and colleagues, I wholeheartedly disagree. 

All clinical trainees have the prerequisite Attitude and Effort. No one excels in life enough to matriculate into a quality training program without these cornerstones. If the trainee no longer exhibits the Attitude and Effort required for success, then both the trainee and the coach are failing. Both team members must be directly addressed to determine the cause and solution. Fundamental problems will always worsen when ignored. 

Successful coaches first train others by constantly striving to be the example. My internal medicine coach taught me to round early in the morning, participate in lectures, round again, then help others beyond the hospital on the HIV and substance abuse counseling bus. My critical care coach taught me to be awake and present on the floor every call night. He taught me to in the unit studying, checking on patients, connecting with families, learning from consultants, helping the amazing nurses who really run the floor. Preventing, not just running the next code.

This week, strive to be an example of Attitude and Effort. As the coach, give your best Effort on every case. Have trainees present at the bedside. Teach just One Pearl, no diatribes needed, just one seed for future learning. This is all that is required and realistic. Encourage your residents coaching junior staff to practice these techniques as well. And when the shift is over, make the Effort to give your trainees feedback. Provide praise. Identify an area for improvement. Recommend additional learning. As EM Coaches, our trainees are our most valuable resource and our greatest legacy. So make the Effort to help everyone grow every shift. Make it a great week!