From Bedside to Breakthrough: Why I'm Building Leadership Coaching for Every Healthcare Professional
- Nov 10
- 3 min read
By Lillian Liang Emlet, MD MS CHSE CPC ELI-MP
"I give everything to my team and patients—there's nothing left for me.”
This is something that I hear over and over again in narratives about clinician burnout: whether you are a physician, nurse, advanced practice provider, executive, educator, or researcher. Twenty years into my career as an academic critical care physician, I’ve mastered the technical aspects of saving lives and teaching generations of physicians, but watching the continued pressures of corporate medicine on creating burnout in my colleagues has been hard. I myself burned out two times in my early career, and we continue to see the statistics and facts in the news: Burnout still affects half of all physicians, and costs the US healthcare system an estimated $4.6 billion annually due to turnover and reduced work hours. (1) The rate of burnout continues to rise, and the suicide rate among physicians and nurses are twice that of the general population. (2)
Here’s what two decades as a physician, mentor, and educator of physician leaders has taught me: We are promoting our best clinicians into leadership roles and expecting them to figure it out alone. We give them titles, responsibilities, and impossible expectations–but rarely the personalized support they need to thrive and grow.
I’ve mentored countless physicians through their leadership transitions and designed education programs for emerging leaders. I’ve watched brilliant clinicians become frustrated, ineffective, or burned-out leaders–not because they lack talent, but because they lacked the right type of support at critical inflection points. I’ve watched executive coaching and leadership programs only be reserved for a select few in organizations. I’ve watched peer support programs and mentoring programs attempt to fix things after exhaustion and problems develop, rather than taking a proactive developmental and individualized approach.
Here’s what I have come to believe with absolute certainty: leadership coaching isn’t a luxury for executives. It’s preventative medicine for anyone leading in healthcare, no matter the rank, profession, or specialty.
Randomized clinical trials show that women physicians participating in virtual coaching experience significant improvements in self-compassion and professional fulfillment, alongside decreased burnout levels. Systematic reviews confirm that coaching interventions lead to measurable improvements in well-being and reductions in distress. (3)
What makes coaching different from traditional mentorship or wellness programs? Coaching is future-focused and preventive. It strengthens people at developmental inflection points—their first leadership role, a challenging promotion, a values conflict, a career transition.
"Coaching helped me reconnect with what’s most important to me now in all my roles and responsibilities, both at work and at home," one division chief told me. "I remember my purpose again."
That's the transformation I'm building toward.
Why I Believe Interprofessional Coaching Matters
Throughout my career, I've worked alongside nurses, PAs, NPs, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and countless other professionals who make healthcare work. I've witnessed how artificial hierarchies damage teams and patient care. I've seen what happens when we invest in physician development while ignoring equally critical leaders across disciplines.
It became natural for me to build Transforming Healthcare Coaching as an inclusive, interprofessional practice, with coaches of various disciplines, experiences, and perspectives in healthcare leadership and practice.
Healthcare organizations that invest in leadership coaching see measurable returns: improved clinician well-being, stronger leadership capacity, healthier organizational culture, and—most critically—better patient outcomes. The evidence base continues to grow, and the message is clear: coaching is not a "nice to have." It's essential infrastructure for sustainable healthcare leadership.
Every healthcare professional deserves to lead with clarity, energy, and purpose—even in healthcare's most challenging moments.
Connect with Transforming Healthcare Coaching
If you are curious or ready to explore how leadership coaching can transform your organization's culture or your own leadership journey, then email me at hello@transforminghealthcarecoaching.com to schedule a consultation and share your story with me.
I still practice critical care medicine while coaching healthcare leaders nationwide. I'm not an outsider offering theoretical solutions. I'm in the trenches, experiencing the same pressures, navigating the same challenges—and I'm convinced this work matters.
When I coach a nurse manager through a values conflict, I'm preventing a potential resignation. When I support a physician leader in establishing sustainable boundaries, I'm preventing burnout before it takes root. When I facilitate team coaching for an executive leadership group, I'm strengthening the foundation that supports thousands of frontline staff.
Because thriving leaders build thriving healthcare systems—and everyone deserves that opportunity.
References:
1.National physician burnout study: Latest statistics on burnout in health care and doctor well-being. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/national-physician-burnout-study-latest-statistics-burnout Last accessed: October 10, 2025
2. Burnout vs. Depression. Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. https://drlornabreen.org/burnout/ Last accessed: October 10, 2025
3. Mann A, Shah AN, Thibodeau PS, Dyrbye L, Syed A, Woodward MA, Thurmon K, Jones CD, Dunbar KS, Fainstad T. Online well-being group coaching program for women physician trainees: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2335541. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35541
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