RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Supporting the pursuit of professionalism during a crisis JF BMJ Leader JO BMJ Leader FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP leader-2021-000458 DO 10.1136/leader-2021-000458 A1 William O Cooper A1 Nancy M Lorenzi A1 Heather A Davidson A1 Cynthia A Baldwin A1 Daniel M Feinberg A1 Joseph Hopkins A1 Nathan O Spell A1 Craig J Uthe A1 Gerald B Hickson YR 2021 UL http://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/early/2021/08/11/leader-2021-000458.abstract AB Background Crisis plans for healthcare organisations most often focus on operational needs including staffing, supplies and physical plant needs. Less attention is focused on how leaders can support and encourage individual clinical team members to conduct themselves as professionals during a crisis.Methods This qualitative study analysed observations from 79 leaders at 160 hospitals that participate in two national professionalism programmes who shared their observations in focus group discussions about what they believed were the essential elements of leading and addressing professional accountability during a crisis.Results Analysis of focus group responses identified six leadership practices adopted by healthcare organisations, which were felt to be essential for organisations to navigate the crisis successfully. Unique aspects of maintaining professionalism during each phase of the pandemic were identified and described.Conclusions Leaders need a plan to support an organiation’s pursuit of professionalism during a crisis. Leaders participating in this study identified practices that should be carefully woven into efforts to support the ongoing safety and quality of the care delivered by healthcare organisations before, during and after a crisis. The lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic may be useful during subsequent crises and challenges that a healthcare organisation might experience.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.