LEADERS IN MEDICINE
opportunities , but that skillset must be explicitly taught and applied .
Although physicians are perceived by the very nature of our careers as experts , we generally lack the training and focus on leadership that is taught in other career pathways like business . The current medical education environment trains clinicians but neglects to explicitly train leaders . However , providers in Louisville are fortunate to have various options for those looking to enhance their craft . In addition to the MBA program , UofL also hosts the flagship Leadership and Innovation in Academic Medicine ( LIAM ) faculty development program through the School of Medicine . This longitudinal program provides opportunities for interprofessional faculty to learn and practice various skills that prepare them to become future leaders in academic health centers over the course of a year .
The Kentucky Medical Association ( KMA ) developed a leadership program , the Kentucky Physicians Leadership Institute ( KPLI ), which has graduated annual classes since 2017 . This selective program features class sizes limited to 15 annual participants and has been recognized both regionally 4 and nationally 5 for education and leadership . The KPLI is structured over a series of four weekends with each session focusing on a specific topic in leadership such as business , communication , advocacy and interpersonal skills . Participants have the opportunity to interact with leaders in academic medicine , hospital administration , state government and regional business leadership throughout the program .
A key takeaway from programs like these is that leadership skills can be applied by anyone in a variety of settings . These skills can be exemplified by physicians in the smallest acts of leadership : presenting a proposal to hospital administration to expand services ; meeting with office staff to discuss improving workflows ; advocating for student or resident wellness . The days of transactional leadership are in the rearview with the contemporary focus more on the transformational or servant leadership styles . To inspire excellence and drive innovation , modern leaders must be willing to put the needs of others in the organization above their own , and they must recognize that their teams consist of people , not salary lines . As clinicians , it would be challenging to care for a patient without knowing much about them or their goals and priorities . It is comparably difficult to lead without an understanding of the mission , vision and values of the individuals we work with and the organization itself . can serve as a catalyst for professional development and retention . Physicians must address these needs by seeking training opportunities and treating leadership as a set of skills to continually develop . Health systems would , in turn , benefit from supporting physicians who seek leadership development with funding and protected time . There are opportunities for everyone on a care team to demonstrate leadership skills , and purposeful training to do so will help us all become more effective in our roles .
As health care continues to evolve , physician leadership roles will be critical . Applying historical , hands-off approaches to leadership development in medicine are insufficient to meet the needs of the current climate . Health care spending accounts for nearly 20 % of our gross domestic product ( GDP ) in this country , 6 and this has continued to attract the attention of those who would place profits over patients . Without the purposeful development of leaders in medicine , physicians cannot compete with those from business fields that prioritize this type of training . Physicians thus continue to cede management and control of medical practices and hospitals to those with a more administrative background , which has led to growth in health care administrators far outpacing the growth in physicians by a fairly dramatic margin . 7 Cultivating effective leaders with a clinical background who have a personal connection to patients will help ensure that patients are prioritized .
References
1
Global Trust in Professions : Who Do Global Citizens Trust ( 2019 ) https :// www . ipsos . com / sites / default / files / ct / news / documents / 2019-09 / global-trust-in-professions-trust-worthiness-index-2019 . pdf
2
Carlyle , T . “ The Hero as Divinity ” in Heroes and Hero-Worship ( 1840 )
3
Valenzuela , F .; Romero Arenas , MA . Underrepresented in Surgery : ( Lack of ) Diversity in Academic Surgery Faculty . J Surg Res ( 2020 ), 254 : 170-174
4
Kentucky Physicians Leadership Institute to be Honored with MediStar ’ s A . O . Sullivan Award for Excellence in Education : https :// kyfmc . org / uncategorized / kentucky-physicians-leadership-institute-to-be-honored-with-medistars-a-o-sullivan-award-for-excellence-in-education /
5
Kentucky Physicians Leadership Institute ( KPLI ) Receives National Leadership Award : https :// kyfmc . org / uncategorized / kentucky-physicians-leadership-institute-kpli-receives-national-leadership-award /
6 https :// www . cms . gov / Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems / Statistics-Trends-and-Reports / NationalHealthExpendData / NHE-Fact-Sheet
7
Expert Forum : The rise ( and rise ) of the healthcare administrator . https :// www . athenahealth . com / knowledge-hub / practice-management / expert-forum-rise-and-rise-healthcare-administrator
Dr . Adamson is an abdominal transplant surgeon with the University of Louisville .
As we consider how to address the need for physicians to be effective leaders , health care systems must integrate and prioritize widespread training , including for physicians and other team members who are not in traditional leadership roles . Creating a culture of leadership at all levels is essential for health care organizations and
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