Introduction ESLIH (Empowering Student Leadership in Healthcare) aims to inspire, empower and celebrate the next generation of student leaders in healthcare. Students are the future healthcare workforce, and current student leaders will be leading the way. ESLIH is committed to providing an accessible opportunity for students to be inspired by clinical leaders, receive practical leadership teaching and celebrate their leadership achievements.

ESLIH is committed to fostering Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in every aspect of its leadership and activities, and recognises that diversity is essential for innovation and progress, starting at the undergraduate level.

ESLIH’s annual national student healthcare conference is co-led by FMLM clinical fellows and healthcare students. It has been intentionally designed to remove barriers to access by providing free registration and travel support to students from underrepresented backgrounds (widening participation). To our knowledge, ESLIH is the only leadership conference in the UK which supports EDI in this way.

Aims and objectives of the research project or activity On the 9th September 2023, students had the opportunity to attend the annual ESLIH conference to be inspired, build their confidence, network with other students and develop their leadership skills.

This one-day conference is held each year at a rotating geographical location to improve accessibility. Inspirational diverse speakers are invited, alongside practical leadership development workshops and opportunities to showcase student projects, interests and research.

Students from widening participation backgrounds were offered free registration and travel support at the point of registration to improve access to the event.

The study aimed to evaluate and assess the breadth and diversity of the attendees to the event, as well as exploring student motivation and attitudes towards leadership. The impact of the ESLIH conference activities on student aspirations for healthcare leadership, development of leadership skills and confidence in utilising these skills in practice was also evaluated.

Method or approach Pre-and-post conference evaluation forms were sent to delegates. Demographic information including professional backgrounds and whether students were from a widening participation background were collected. Attendees’ motivation for attending the conference was explored and their thoughts towards leadership were captured. Students rated their confidence towards leadership competencies, based on the FMLM Indicative Undergraduate Curriculum, using a likert scale. Specific feedback about sessions and key takeaways were also captured.

Findings Based on the initial analysis, a wide range of professions attended the conference from a range of backgrounds, including a significant number that identified as widening participation students.

Prior to attending the conference, the majority of students related the words ‘empowering’, ‘inspiring’, ‘achievable’ and ‘confident’ to leadership. Overall, there was a positive reflection of students’ interest and feelings towards leadership. However, a large number of students also signalled that leadership was ‘challenging’ and some students felt it was ‘complex’, ‘exclusive’ and ‘overwhelming’.

In the post-conference evaluation, the positive feelings remained and students felt more ‘optimistic’. Less of the negative connotations were also identified after attending the ESLIH conference. Why students wanted to attend and where they felt the conference best delivered, largely reflected each other.

Full results will be presented at the conference, including the analysis against the FMLM indicative undergraduate curriculum.

Key messages

• Improving diversity in healthcare leadership must start at the undergraduate level in order to inspire and empower the next generation of healthcare leaders early in their careers.

• To do this effectively, leadership activities and events must be led and attended by diverse demographics, alongside practical support such as the removal of financial barriers.

• ESLIH has demonstrated this through the multiprofessional co-leading of its event with clinical leadership fellows and undergraduate students.

• The conference showcases speakers and workshop leads from diverse backgrounds and healthcare professions to serve as role models and teachers.

• By providing free registration and travel support for widening participation students, ESLIH is the first conference, to our knowledge, to remove financial barriers for underrepresented groups.

• Initial evaluation has demonstrated the positive impact of the event on undergraduate leadership development, and explores attitudes and motivation around leadership amongst a diverse student population.