Medical Student Consulting: Providing Students Leadership and Business Opportunities While Positively Impacting the Community

Divergence and Convergence of the Public Health Leadership Competency Framework Against Others in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review

Objective: The following scoping review is aimed at identifying leadership competency frameworks in Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) by analyzing the thematic scopes, target audiences, and methods involved. A further objective is to compare the frameworks against a standard framework. Methods: The authors extracted the thematic scope and methods of each framework based on the original author's formulations in each selected paper. The target audience was divided into three sections: UME, medical education, and beyond medical education. The frameworks were converged and diverged against the public health leadership competency framework. Results: Thirty-three frameworks covering thematic scopes such as refugees and migrants were identified. The most common methods to develop leadership frameworks were reviews and interviews. The courses targeted multiple disciplines including medicine and nurses. The identified competency frameworks have not converged among important domains of leadership such as systems thinking, political leadership, leading change, and emotional intelligence. Conclusion: There is a variety of frameworks that support leadership in UME. Nevertheless, they are not consistent in vital domains to face worldwide health challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary leadership competency frameworks which address health challenges should be used in UME.

Leadership Training and Undergraduate Medical Education: a Scoping Review

The purpose of this scoping review is to fill the gap in understanding the current status of intervention-based studies regarding leadership training in undergraduate medical education. As of late, there is an increased focus on the role of physicians as leaders in their fields, and communities. In order to evaluate these studies, both the PubMed and ERIC databases were searched, and an ultimate total of 35 articles methodologies were evaluated for their general methodology, curricular content, specific teaching methods, and evaluation methodologies. There were a number of trends identified, as well as remaining gaps.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01308-9.

Physician Executive Leadership Plus: An Approach to Business and Management Education for Medical Students

INTRODUCTION

Physicians are looked upon to lead the healthcare team, a task that has grown increasingly complex and interdisciplinary, requiring a diverse extra-clinical skillset. Physician Executive Leadership (PEL) Plus is a student-run program that uniquely utilizes both didactic and real-world project-based approaches to deliver a business and management curriculum to medical students.

METHODS

We developed and implemented PEL Plus during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years, geared at first- and second-year medical students. We provide an overview of this combined didactic and project-based curriculum, in addition to evaluating if the program was efficacious in teaching the desired skillset. We assessed short-term knowledge acquisition using multiple-choice questions, and investigated student perceptions of their learning and the program using Likert scales and narrative feedback. We also investigated the influence of student demographics on performance, in order to assess the appropriateness of our target audience.

RESULTS

28 students completed PEL Plus over the two years (14 students/year). Average performance on multiple-choice questions showed statistically significant improvement after the majority of sessions. There were no statistically significant effects of demographics on performance in the majority of sessions. Students self-rated stronger understandings of lecture topics after each session, and analysis of narrative feedback demonstrated thematic categories centred on teaching style, new knowledge, lecture content/material, projects, networking, program structure, and generic statements.

DISCUSSION

PEL Plus is an innovative and effective approach to teaching business, leadership, and management skills in undergraduate medical education. Development of similar programs at other institutions will positively impact the broader medical student community.

Preparing Medical Students to Be Physician Leaders: A Leadership Training Program for Students Designed and Led by Students

Introduction

Leadership is an area of education and training that is critical to the development of medical providers as health care professionals, yet few medical school curricula offer formal training in this area.

Methods

We designed and implemented a course to develop and enhance the leadership and teamwork skills of first-year medical students to better prepare them for medical practice. Following a systematic literature review to identify leadership core competencies, the Leadership in Medicine Optional Enrichment Elective (OEE) was developed in accordance with the University of Massachusetts Medical School's course guidelines. The elective included six interactive sessions to advance skills in the areas of recognizing and utilizing effective leadership styles, communication within the health care team, giving and receiving feedback, delegating responsibilities, and direction setting. We designed a robust, evidence-based, scholarly evaluation plan for the OEE that was integral to ongoing quality improvement of the course.

Results

Outcomes were assessed in alignment with the Kirkpatrick method of standardized evaluation. A total of 26 participants completed the course. At completion, participants demonstrated learning and advancement of skills in all five leadership domains. Furthermore, participants found meaning in the course and planned to utilize their skills in future medical practice.

Discussion

The development, implementation, and evaluation of this program can serve as a model for future course development, and the program can be adapted and implemented by other institutions in an effort to address the learning gap regarding leadership education.