SaferPatients

(Note: This post comes from Steve Montague, one of our Vice Presidents at LifeWings.)

In “Turning Doctors into Leaders,” Thomas Lee correctly notes, “team building is a critical competency for physician leaders.”  While this is clearly a necessity, Atul Gawande illuminates the pathway by which physician leaders will learn to lead; by leading a multi-disciplinary team in the OR, ED, ICU, etc.  The distributed competencies present in a modern clinical context will significantly underperform their joint capability if they are lead in an autocratic style, or not lead at all.  Dr. Gawande points out that medicine is wise to borrow from other professions (such as Sullenberger, et al) and there is a ready model for medical schools to emulate if they wish to adequately prepare tomorrow’s physicians to be servant leaders; the U.S. Service Academies. 

The first step is to clearly articulate the expectation that physicians lead.  For example, if you ask an auditorium of freshmen (or plebes) at Annapolis, “Who in this room is a leader?” there will be a sea of hands up in the air in spite of their lowly status.  Conversely, I never get a similar response from medical students, nor even residents.

Once medical students sign on as future leaders, the medical school must provide a curriculum consisting of academics and low cost of failure leadership opportunities using interdisciplinary simulation.  This allows individuals to experiment and find their specific leadership style. 

Finally, leadership must be evaluated and included in any consideration of residency or fellowship.  If it’s measured, it matters.  Whether leading a multi-disciplinary team, or serving as the leader of colleagues, an admiral or a department chair must know how to lead long before assuming the title.

(Steve is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.)