Leadership training in a family medicine residency program: Cross-sectional quantitative survey to inform curriculum development.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the current status of leadership training as perceived by family medicine residents to inform the development of a formal leadership curriculum.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional quantitative survey.

SETTING

Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont, in December 2013.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 152 first- and second-year family medicine residents.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Family medicine residents' attitudes toward leadership, perceived level of training in various leadership domains, and identified opportunities for leadership training.

RESULTS

Overall, 80% (152 of 190) of residents completed the survey. On a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = neutral, 7 = strongly agree), residents rated the importance of physician leadership in the clinical setting as high (6.23 of 7), whereas agreement with the statement "I am a leader" received the lowest rating (5.28 of 7). At least 50% of residents desired more training in the leadership domains of personal mastery, mentorship and coaching, conflict resolution, teaching, effective teamwork, administration, ideals of a healthy workplace, coalitions, and system transformation. At least 50% of residents identified behavioural sciences seminars, a lecture and workshop series, and a retreat as opportunities to expand leadership training.

CONCLUSION

The concept of family physicians as leaders resonated highly with residents. Residents desired more personal and system-level leadership training. They also identified ways that leadership training could be expanded in the current curriculum and developed in other areas. The information gained from this survey might facilitate leadership development among residents through application of its results in a formal leadership curriculum.