Introduction There is a growing emphasis on developing effective leadership within healthcare, including better training and support for clinical leaders.¹ The views and experiences of senior NHS leaders have recently been explored^{2 3}; however, junior doctors remain an untapped resource. In order to develop our trainees into future clinical leaders, it is important to explore their current understanding of leadership.

Methods We surveyed 97 junior doctors at a teaching hospital in Devon. Respondents identified skills and qualities they associated with good leadership and also described how they exhibit leadership during daily practice. The free-text responses received were then appraised within contemporary leadership theory. Respondents were mainly aged 21–30, FY1 - CT2 trainees and from General Practice, Medical Training (Core & Specialty) and Obstetrics and Gynaecology programmes.

Results Juniors’ definitions of effective clinical leadership valued communication and teamwork skills over more technical proficiencies. Approachability and inclusivity were also highly valued, along with attributes associated with compassion, the development of others, consultative leadership and active followership.

The junior doctors surveyed described their personal clinical leadership as a network of relationships and connections rather than single projects or set hierarchical roles. However, many failed to identify any examples of personal leadership, citing a lack of experience and isolated working in community settings.

Conclusion This survey has explored junior doctors’ perceptions and experiences of leadership. Trainees valued collaboration skills and characteristics associated with the creation of a strong social identity, active followership and distributive leadership.⁴ These align with a transformational leadership style, compared with the more traditional, transactional leadership approach favoured during a study of their peers over a decade ago.⁵

References

1. Warren OJ, Carnall R. Medical leadership: why it’s important, what is required and how we develop it. Postgrad Med J 2011;87:27–32. https://pmj.bmj.com/content/postgradmedj/87/1023/27.full.pdf

2. Nicol ED, Mohanna K, Cowpe J. Perspectives on clinical leadership: a qualitative study exploring the views of senior healthcare leaders in the UK. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2014;107(7):277–286. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0141076814527274

3. Timmins N. The chief executive’s tale: views from the front line of the NHS. The King’s Fund 2016, May 10. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publication_file/The-chief-executive-tale-Kings-Fund-May-2016.pdf

4. Haslam SA, Reicher S, Platow MJ. (2011). New York, NY: Psychology Press. http://documents.routledge-interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9781841696102/Sample_CHPT_9781841696102.pdf

5. Palmer R, Cragg R, Wall D, Wilkie V. Team and leadership styles of junior doctors. International Journal of Clinical Leadership 2008;16(3):131–135. https://web.a.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=1757207X&AN=47155596&h=0FEemBZ8QKBpo9AhjNRy2qZ8EremAggmg2mmR03k36zyWniYAj2ySa8iESPpl%2fFkJMjQS6Do1GgvF6ZwOo51Gw%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d1757207X%26AN%3d47155596