Why we need to teach leadership skills to medical students: a call to action

A qualitative report on experiences of participants in the young innovative leadership program

BACKGROUND

Leadership in health system is a universal challenge. The Young Innovative Leadership Program (YILP) designed for undergraduate and postgraduate medical sciences students, implemented at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, aimed to cultivate leadership capacities through a 16-week training program. This program comprises ten modules covering innovation, change leadership, and management skills, with mentor-facilitated group discussions. This study aimed to provide a qualitative report of the experiences of participants in the YILP.

METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted in 2022, three months after the end of the training program, to investigate the participants' perspectives. Data was extracted through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 14 participants.

RESULTS

In this study 14 undergraduate and postgraduate medical sciences students who had participated in the YILP the previous year were included. Four main categories emerged from the interviews: "emergence of new horizons", "values as beacon", "an expanded toolbox", and "program's structure: a learning atmosphere".

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study indicated that medical science students would benefit from leadership development programs. In this regard, the framework utilized to implement YILP could serve as a role model.

Leadership curricula and assessment in Australian and New Zealand medical schools

BACKGROUND

The Australian Medical Council, which accredits Australian medical schools, recommends medical leadership graduate outcomes be taught, assessed and accredited. In Australia and New Zealand (Australasia) there is a significant research gap and no national consensus on how to educate, assess, and evaluate leadership skills in medical professional entry degree/programs. This study aims to investigate the current curricula, assessment and evaluation of medical leadership in Australasian medical degrees, with particular focus on the roles and responsibilities of medical leadership teachers, frameworks used and competencies taught, methods of delivery, and barriers to teaching leadership.

METHODS

A self-administered cross-sectional survey was distributed to senior academics and/or heads or Deans of Australasian medical schools. Data for closed questions and ordinal data of each Likert scale response were described via frequency analysis. Content analysis was undertaken on free text responses and coded manually.

RESULTS

Sixteen of the 22 eligible (73%) medical degrees completed the full survey and 100% of those indicate that leadership is taught in their degree. In most degrees (11, 69%) leadership is taught as a common theme integrated throughout the curricula across several subjects. There is a variety of leadership competencies taught, with strengths being communication (100%), evidence based practice (100%), critical reflective practice (94%), self-management (81%), ethical decision making (81%), critical thinking and decision making (81%). Major gaps in teaching were financial management (20%), strategic planning (31%) and workforce planning (31%). The teaching methods used to deliver medical leadership within the curricula are diverse, with many degrees providing opportunities for leadership teaching for students outside the curricula. Most degrees (10, 59%) assess the leadership education, with one-third (6, 35%) evaluating it.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical leadership competencies are taught in most degrees, but key leadership competencies are not being taught and there appears to be no continuous quality improvement process for leadership education. There is much more we can do as medical educators, academics and leaders to shape professional development of academics to teach medical leadership, and to agree on required leadership skills set for our students so they can proactively shape the future of the health care system.

Investing in Queensland's rural medical leaders: Lessons from the Queensland Rural Generalist Program

OBJECTIVE

To improve the leadership capacity of existing Queensland Rural Generalists and support the emerging leaders needed to assume future leadership roles.

DESIGN

A customised leadership program for medical Rural Generalists, embedded in professional standards, was developed and delivered during 2016-2018. Pre and post-program and individual module evaluations from two Program cohorts were analysed. Qualitative, semi-structured phone interviews (n = 30) discussing participant views on leadership in a rural context and their Program experience were also conducted.

SETTING

The Rural Generalist Leadership for Clinicians Training Program runs over twelve months and includes three residential modules as well as online learning sets.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-four participants completed the Program and obtained Associate Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators.

INTERVENTIONS

Development and delivery of the Rural Generalist Leadership for Clinicians Training Program.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Participant's ability to apply Program learning in a rural leadership context. Participant views on leadership in a rural context.

RESULTS

Participants indicated they benefited most from the 'understanding self' and management aspects of the Program such as finance, budgeting, and understanding and navigating broader health system governance. They greatly valued the opportunity to enhance their professional networks and relationships and have since developed a regular forum to assist in the transition from individual leadership development to the development of the broader workforce and organisation.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggest that further attention and investment in medical leadership is warranted to support and enable the Rural Generalist workforce to continue to meet the complex, context-specific needs of the communities within which they deliver vital health services.