Preparing academic medical department physicians to successfully lead

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a case study which details the successful development, design and deployment of a leadership course for academic medical department chairs. The course provides a needed local and contextual alternative to the lengthy and often theoretical MBA/MHA. Design/methodology/approach – Faculty developers used a multi-tiered methodology for developing the physician leadership course. The methodology consisted of literature findings, needs assessment, stakeholder input and structured interviews with administrative leaders. Findings – The research, stakeholder input and interviews revealed an increasing number of physician leaders with a general lack of fundamental administrative leadership skills. These shortfalls are largely because of underexposure to core management competencies during medical school and limited contextual knowledge outside their organization. There is an urgent need for leadership development opportunities aimed at current and future academic medical department chairs. Research limitations/implications – This research is limited by the assumptions that the curriculum meets the ever-changing needs of health-care leaders, the course’s focus on academic medical department chairs within the Texas Medical Center and the lack of long range follow-up data to substantiate the effectiveness of the curriculum content and course structure. Practical implications – The Academic Medical Department Leadership course offers valuable management skills training which complements standard medical training. Much of the course structure and content is adaptable to physician administrative and leadership positions in all settings. Originality/value – Although the Academic Medical Department Leadership course is a response to a local concern, the study offers a generalizable approach to addressing the demand for skilled physician leaders.