The Leadership Gap: Supporting New Front line Leaders in Cancer Care

An Exploration of the Pillars of Leadership in Cancer Education

Leadership plays a key role in cancer education (CE) and the success of its practices. Leaders in CE must effectively use their leadership skills to be able to communicate, collaborate, and educate their team members. There is a lack of formalized and standardized curriculums for institutions in developing leadership programs, including what themes to focus on in CE. In this article, the authors describe key pillars of leadership in CE that have presented themselves throughout their experience and within the literature. A search was conducted using the Ovid MEDLINE® database and articles were reviewed for eligibility. In this review, thirty articles were selected for their relevance to CE. With this literature search and the authors' reflections, four pillars of leadership in CE were identified: (1) leadership development, (2) collaboration, (3) diversity and equity, and (4) implementation. Within these themes, key areas of importance were discussed further, and barriers to CE leadership were identified. By reflecting upon pillars of leadership in CE, this article may be helpful for developing future leadership programs within CE. It is vital that initiatives continue to be held and barriers are addressed to increase leadership effectiveness within CE.

Leadership, Leading, and Influencing Change in Cancer Education: Development and Assessment of a Pilot Leadership Workshop in Cancer Education for Interdisciplinary Healthcare Staff

Effective leaders in healthcare settings create a motivating work environment, initiate changes in practice, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to advance patient-centered care. Health professionals in cancer education need leadership development to meet the continued rise in cancer cases and to keep up with the rapid biomedical and technological advances in global cancer care. In addition, leadership development in cancer education supports interprofessional collaboration, optimizes patient engagement, and provides mentorship opportunities necessary for career advancement and skill development. The identified benefits from leadership development in cancer education led to the creation of an interactive pilot leadership workshop titled "Essential Skills in Cancer Education: Leadership, Leading, and Influencing Change in Cancer Education," held at the International Cancer Education Conference in October 2020. The workshop was led by global leaders in cancer education and utilized lectures, mentorship opportunities, interactive case studies, and individual learning projects to develop leadership skills in multidisciplinary oncology professionals. Fifteen attendees from diverse educational backgrounds and levels of experience participated in the virtual leadership workshop and mentorship program. Following the workshop, participants reported an increase in knowledge regarding how to use different leadership styles, initiate changes in practice, and apply leadership skills in their career development and at their institutions. The feedback received from participants through post-workshop evaluations was overall positive and demonstrated an interest for more leadership development opportunities in cancer education. This pilot workshop shows that leadership is a valuable and teachable skill that will benefit both healthcare professionals and patients in the field of cancer education.

Leading into the future: Revising nuclear medicine education across Canada to satisfy the newly imposed CAMRT leadership competency

INTRODUCTION

The adoption of the CanMEDS framework into the 2024 competency profiles established by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) requires an increased focus on leadership education and training of student medical radiation technologists (MRTs).

METHODS

A literature review was used to explore current MRT novice leadership and to identify content that should be incorporated into Canadian nuclear medicine curricula to meet the leadership component of the CanMEDS framework. A table, summarizing leadership education currently provided in English-speaking Canadian nuclear medicine programs, is provided.

RESULTS

A gap in leadership preparedness for medical radiation technologists as well as inconsistencies in leadership education within Canadian nuclear medicine curricula were identified. Content inclusions for leadership education is also provided.

DISCUSSION

Recommended content and strategies to revise MRT curricula are offered to enable effective healthcare leadership by MRTs. A specific focus on leadership areas such as technology adoption, radiation safety, and professional advocacy is recommended. The implications for nuclear medicine practice and education are described.

CONCLUSION

Standardized leadership education in nuclear medicine and medical radiation technology education will ensure MRTs are equipped with the skills required to lead effectively.