Abstract
Background:There is an ongoing call for leadership development in academic health care and medical students desire more training in this area. Although many schools offer combined MD/MBA programs or leadership training in targeted areas, these programs do not often align with medical school leadership competencies and are limited in reaching a large number of students.Methods:The Leadership Initiative (LI) was a program created by a partnership between a School of Medicine (SOM) and Business School with a learning model that emphasized the progression from principles to practice, and the competencies of self-awareness, communication, and collaboration/teamwork. Through offerings across a medical school curriculum, the LI introduced leadership principles and provided an opportunity to apply them in an interactive activity or simulation. We utilized the existing SOM evaluation platform to collect data on program outcomes that included satisfaction, fidelity to the learning model, and impact.Results:From 2017 to 2020, over 70% of first-year medical students participated in LI course offerings while a smaller percentage of fourth-year students engaged in the curriculum. Most students had no prior awareness of LI course material and were equivocal about their ability to apply lessons learned to their medical school experience. Students reported that the LI offerings provided opportunities to practice the skills and competencies of self-awareness, communication, and collaboration/teamwork.Discussion:Adding new activities to an already crowded medical curriculum was the greatest logistical challenge. The LI was successful in introducing leadership principles but faced obstacles in having participants apply and practice these principles. Most students reported that the LI offerings were aligned with the foundational competencies.
Highlights
IntroductionA 2017 survey of the state of leadership development in US medical schools reported that many institutions lack formal curricula and that only one-third of schools require students to participate in a leadership curriculum.[3] Medical schools that provide elective leadership training programs report low student participation rates, which may reflect lack of student interest, lack of incentives to pursue leadership training, or competing curricular demands.[3] Several schools offer specialized MD/MBA combined programs[7,8] or leadership training with special focus in areas such as primary care, population health, or advocacy;[9,10] it is unclear how widely these programs reach across student populations
Over a decade ago, the Institute of Medicine advocated for academic medical centers to develop leaders at every level who have the capacity to manage the organizational and system changes required to improve health.[1]
A 2017 survey of the state of leadership development in US medical schools reported that many institutions lack formal curricula and that only one-third of schools require students to participate in a leadership curriculum.[3]
Summary
A 2017 survey of the state of leadership development in US medical schools reported that many institutions lack formal curricula and that only one-third of schools require students to participate in a leadership curriculum.[3] Medical schools that provide elective leadership training programs report low student participation rates, which may reflect lack of student interest, lack of incentives to pursue leadership training, or competing curricular demands.[3] Several schools offer specialized MD/MBA combined programs[7,8] or leadership training with special focus in areas such as primary care, population health, or advocacy;[9,10] it is unclear how widely these programs reach across student populations. Many schools offer combined MD/MBA programs or leadership training in targeted areas, these programs do not often align with medical school leadership competencies and are limited in reaching a large number of students
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