Exploring the impact of academic coaching interventions on student outcomes in graduate healthcare and medical education: a systematic scoping review.

Abstract

Academic coaching is an increasingly vital strategy in higher education, fostering skill development, academic resilience, and personal growth. While research suggests that coaching enhances performance and key competencies such as time management, stress reduction, and self-advocacy, systematic evaluations are needed to assess its effectiveness across graduate medical and healthcare education. This systematic scoping review investigates the effects of academic coaching interventions on academic and professional outcomes among graduate-level health and medical students. We conducted a comprehensive literature search and screening process following the PRISMA methodology and registered in the International Database of Education Systematic Reviews (IDESR #IDESR000171). Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) framework to contextualize findings. The review revealed notable variation in target populations, program structures, focus areas, and data collection methods. Medical student studies addressed both early and advanced learners, with interventions ranging from self-regulated learning and executive/life coaching to academic remediation and longitudinal coaching relationships. Tailored academic coaching interventions show promise in supporting learner development across a range of outcomes. However, the effectiveness of these programs depends on their alignment with learners’ specific needs, educational stages, and institutional contexts. Future coaching initiatives should be designed with attention to the Master Adaptive Learner framework to ensure responsiveness to the evolving demands of health professions education.