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

Abstract

Abstract 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.