Practice coaches play a unique and specialized role requiring a broad set of functional, technical, and behavioral competencies. A key step in establishing a practice coaching program is agreeing upon a set of criteria to guide the practice coach hiring process. Experience has shown that successful practice coaches have a significant foundation of quality improvement knowledge and expertise, as well as a set of observable behaviors that enable them to connect with primary care practices. Indeed, some leaders have suggested that when evaluating prospective practice coaches, it is more important to consider a candidate's approach to interacting with individuals and groups of people and their level of emotional intelligence than the candidate's quality improvement experience. An enthusiastic, open-minded, task-oriented person with high standards is a good place to start.
In general, one should look for the following background when reviewing applicant resumes:
• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree preferred in relevant discipline such as public health, human resources, nursing, engineering, or education
• Five years of experience in working in a health care setting, preferably working with health care teams, or five years leading multidisciplinary teams in quality improvement in another service setting
• Experience in participating in quality improvement teams, familiarity with quality improvement methods
• Project management skills
• Experience reviewing and interpreting performance data
• Experience in leading group processes and negotiation
Compiled by Jen Powell, an AF4Q technical advisor working with the Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP) Technical Support Team.