Play the audio clips below for highlights from the presentation. The full presentation with slides is available on the Urology Rounds website.
Dr. Daniel Skarlicki (left) and Dr. Jugpal Arneja (right)
There is ample evidence that physician leadership contributes to excellent health care. But who are physician leaders and how are they developed? Drs. Jugpal Arneja and Daniel Skarlicki set out to explore these questions. Dr. Arneja is Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Plastic Surgery at UBC and Associate Chief, Surgery (Interim) British Columbia Children’s Hospital. He is also a student in the Executive MBA in Health Care program at the Sauder School of Business. Dr. Skarlicki is the Edgar F. Kaiser Chair of Organizational Behavior and Professor, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources at the Sauder School of Business, UBC. They have presented the results of their study to health care leadership teams and several physician groups and on October 5, they spoke at Urology Grand Rounds at Vancouver General Hospital.
Dr. Skarlicki opened the presentation by describing some qualities of leaders, such as team skills, a focus on innovation, clear values, and especially humility. He distinguished management and leadership by saying that managers focus on getting things done and leaders think about the future.
What is leadership – Dr. Daniel Skarlicki
Dr. Arneja reported on their survey of Canadian surgeon leaders (heads of departments, divisions and programs), which sought to gather data on the demographics of this group as well as how they use their time and their major challenges. More than 80% of the respondents were male, between the ages of 45-55. About 60% had no advanced degree, although 30% held M.Sc., Ph.D. and M.Ed. degrees. Very few had any background in management. They spent 70% of their time on clinical work and education, with the balance used for leadership, administration and research. Most were promoted to a leadership position based on their clinical and education skills rather than leadership qualities. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the characteristics most predictive of achieving a leadership position were male gender and years of practice.
Why were leaders promoted – Dr. Jugpal Arneja
Who gets to be a leader – Dr. Jugpal Arneja
The survey results demonstrate that physician leaders are usually promoted to their roles without specific training or skills to perform well. Can they develop their leadership skills? The literature suggests that, with appropriate training and practice, most can develop the competencies needed to be successful in their roles. Drs. Skarlicki and Arneja hypothesize that facilitating and encouraging physician leaders to grow their skills will produce value for the health care system.
Would better leaders produce better health care? – Dr. Jugpal Arneja
Whose mandate is it to develop leaders – Dr. Jugpal Arneja
