Healthcare leadership is a very important sector. The fact that enhanced leadership skills can lead to superior patient care, is often overlooked by Doctors. This isn’t because there are non competent physicians, but because more emphasis and skill development haven’t been made on leadership.
Being a good Doctor means more than simply being a good clinician. Every day, doctors provide leadership to their colleagues, and vision for the organisations in which they work and to the profession a whole.
The definition of leadership has undergone an evolution in recent years. We recognise that some doctors are formal leaders who are accountable for the performance of their team, department or organisation.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP
According to Kingsley Bangwell, Executive Director of Young Stars Foundation; Leadership is the display of competence processed through character and inspired by a compelling vision to improve the state of a people and things.
Furthermore, it is the capacity to influence others beyond the qualification the doctor posses. They hearken to the doctor’s words and instructions because of the vision and conviction with which he/she responds to duties.
The Medical Leadership competency framework describes the sequential leadership skill acquisition for all doctors. These skills are to be developed at three stages; undergraduate stage, post graduate stage, and the continuing practising stage.
Inculcating these skills from the undergraduate days through the continuing stage brings about a better healthcare leader.
What are these Healthcare Leadership Skills
The skills include;
- Administrative skills
- Resource management skills
- Project management
- People development
This also includes imbibing into the doctor’s daily activities “the Health Care leadership model”.
This model helps you become a better leader in your day-to-day role. You don’t have to be in a clinical or service setting to use it, you can benefit by discovering and exploring your own leadership behaviours.
Related Article: The four pillars of effective health and safety leadership in the oil industry
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