Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Drexel University College of Medicine have designed and implemented national career development programs (CDPs) to help women faculty acquire and strengthen skills needed for success in academic medicine. The authors hypothesized that skills women acquired in CDPs would vary by career stage and program attended. ⋯ Women participants perceived varying skills gained or improved from their attendance at the CDPs. Determining ways in which CDPs can support women's advancement in academic medicine requires a deeper understanding of what participants seek from CDPs and how they use program content to advance their careers.
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Preceptors' understanding and use of role modeling to develop the CanMEDS competencies in residents.
Role modeling by preceptors is a key strategy for training residents in the competencies defined within the CanMEDS conceptual framework. However, little is known about the extent to which preceptors are aware of the importance of role modeling or how they perceive and enact it in their daily interactions with residents. The purpose of this study was to describe how preceptors understand and use role modeling to develop CanMEDS competencies in residents. ⋯ Preceptors are aware of the importance of role modeling competencies for residents, but many do so only implicitly. This study's findings are important for improving strategies for role modeling and for the professional development of preceptors.
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All physicians take a leadership role at some point in their career-some exert influence in their practices and communities as informal leaders, and others hold formal leadership roles to which they are appointed or elected. These formal leadership roles convey power to those individuals who hold such positions. Formal leadership, however, is limited in its influence unless it is accompanied by a series of personal and interpersonal competencies that characterize both formal and informal leaders. ⋯ Both formal and informal leaders should be trained in the personal and interpersonal competencies necessary for effective leadership to advance the principles-driven and values-oriented goals inherent in the health care enterprise. In this article, the author defines leadership and describes the characteristics of formal and informal leaders, then discusses the types of leadership and the power derived from different leadership roles. He concludes by arguing in favor of expanding the scope of leadership training to include informal as well as formal leaders.
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Some health care institutions, including academic health centers, have adopted policies excluding smokers from employment. Claims advanced on behalf of these policies include financial savings from reduced health costs and absenteeism as well as advantages consonant with their message of healthy living. The authors suggest that the institutional savings from these policies are speculative and unproven. ⋯ The traditional values of medicine include service to all persons in need, even when illness results from addiction or unsafe behavior. Secular academic communities require a shared dedication to discovery without requiring strict conformity of private behavior or belief. The authors conclude that for health care institutions, policies of hiring smokers and helping them to quit are both prudent and expressive of the norms of medical care, such as inclusion, compassion, and fellowship, that academic health professionals seek to honor.
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Over the last 30 years, pain has become one of the most dynamic areas of medicine and a public health issue. According to a recent Institute of Medicine report, pain affects approximately 100 million Americans at an estimated annual economic cost of $560 to $635 billion and is poorly treated overall. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) recognizes a pain subspecialty, but pain care delivery has struggled with increasing demand and developed in an inconsistent and uncoordinated fashion. ⋯ In this Perspective, the authors argue that ABMS recognition of pain medicine as an independent medical specialty would provide much needed structure and oversight for the field and would generate credibility for the specialty and its providers among medical peers, payers, regulatory and legislative agencies, and the public at large. The existing system, managed by three ABMS boards, largely excludes other specialties that contribute to pain care, fails to provide leadership from a single professional organization, provides suboptimal training exposure to pain medicine, and lengthens training, which results in inefficient use of time and educational resources. The creation of a primary ABMS conjoint board in pain medicine with its own residency programs and departments would provide better coordinated training, ensure the highest degree of competence of pain medicine specialists, and improve the quality of pain care and patient safety.