Hospitals and medical practices throughout the United States are beginning to implement the new Joint Commission Standards for “disruptive physicians”. Anderson & Anderson is currently the major provider of Executive Coaching/anger Management for Physicians in the nation. Out On-site coaching for “disruptive physicians” has provided us the opportunities to get an inside look at the work environments of participating doctors.

The most startling finding to date is the degree to which stress and burnout are factors in decreasing the resiliency of these physicians to appropriately manage anger and use assertive rather than aggressive communication. Stress also tends to erode empathic responses to colleagues, ancillary staff and patients. We have learned that it is our extensive assessment at the beginning of the intervention which quickly breaks through resistance and denial of the presenting complaint.