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Developing Physician-Leaders: A Call to Action

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Abstract

Background

The many challenges in health care today create a special need for great leadership. However, traditional criteria for physicians’ advancement to leadership positions often regard academic and/or clinical accomplishments rather than the distinctive competencies needed to lead. Furthermore, physicians’ training can handicap their developing leadership skills. In this context, an emerging trend is for health-care institutions to offer physician-leadership programs.

Methods and Results

This paper reviews the rationale for developing physician-leaders. Factors that underscore this need include: (1) physicians may lack inclinations to collaborate and to follow, (2) health-care organizations pose challenging environments in which to lead (e.g., because of silo-based structures, etc.), (3) traditional criteria for advancement in medicine regard clinical and/or academic skills rather than leadership competencies, and (4) little attention is currently given to training physicians regarding leadership competencies.

Conclusion

Definition of these competencies of ideal physician-leaders will inform the curricula and format of emerging physician leadership development programs.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Ms. Sherri White for her expert help in preparing the manuscript.

Conflict of Interest

None disclosed

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physician Leadership Development at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    James K. Stoller MD, MS

  2. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    James K. Stoller MD, MS

  3. Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Therapy, Cleveland, OH, USA

    James K. Stoller MD, MS

  4. Respiratory and Education Institutes, A90, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    James K. Stoller MD, MS

Authors
  1. James K. Stoller MD, MS
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James K. Stoller MD, MS.

Additional information

From the Cleveland Clinic, Office of Professional Staff Affairs and the Education and Respiratory Institutes.

No funding supported the preparation of this manuscript.

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Stoller, J.K. Developing Physician-Leaders: A Call to Action. J GEN INTERN MED 24, 876–878 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-009-1007-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-009-1007-8

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