Name
From Lapse Detection to Learner Development: Training Clinical Mentors for Growth-Oriented Professionalism Coaching
Speakers
Authors
Steve Caloudas, Baylor College of Medicine
Date & Time
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 11:45 AM - 11:59 AM
Presentation Category
Designing Holistic Programs: Growth-Oriented Assessment, Feedback, and Learner Development
Description
Purpose Professionalism concerns in medical school are often handled punitively: flagged, documented, and remediated, an approach that casts lapses as character deficits rather than developmental opportunities. The DISCO Clinical Mentor Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine reframes professionalism support as growth-oriented coaching. This new initiative expands the work of DISCO (Discovery, Integration, Success, Community, Outreach), an established comprehensive program of academic, bridge, and professionalism support, by preparing faculty to serve as DISCO Clinical Mentors for students referred for professionalism concerns. This abstract describes the program design and evaluation framework.
Methods The six-month curriculum equips mentors with: (1) understanding of the integrated support ecosystem and its centralized referral system, DISCO Direct; (2) motivational interviewing and GROW coaching skills for engaging ambivalent learners; (3) a trustworthiness-based professionalism framework (Triplett et al., 2026) mapped to institutional competency goals, distinguishing "red flags" requiring escalation from "growth edges" calling for developmental coaching; (4) a root cause analysis and wraparound support model adapted from Coppola et al. (2024); (5) fluency with a tiered professionalism guide emphasizing pattern, context, insight, and trajectory over single-incident severity; and (6) advocacy skills for building a culture of formative professionalism support.
Results As a new initiative, outcome data are forthcoming. The evaluation framework will assess mentor self-efficacy, satisfaction, and coaching activity at 6 and 12 months, alongside de-identified student outcomes including recurrence of professionalism notations.
Conclusion This program offers a transferable model for converting professionalism remediation into holistic, feedback-rich learner development, pairing growth-oriented coaching with systematic institutional support.