Should doctors be leading healthcare organizations?
Responding to a 2023 PMM article by Ian Kirkpatrick, Ali Altanlar and Gianluca Veronesi, Paul Evans and Kirsten Armit agree that hospitals with more doctors in senior leadership roles see better patient outcomes and fewer infections. Building on Kirkpatrick et al., based on Evans and Armit warn that: "understanding ‘what works’ in leadership development is challenging. There are many factors to consider, such as the readiness of the individual for development, their prior experience, opportunities to apply learning, supportiveness of colleagues…Prescribing a particular route into senior leadership is problematic. Our observations from working with many senior medical leaders indicates that doctors (and others) come to these roles through a varying combination of education and career experiences, often working in a variety of settings within and outside healthcare, in the UK and beyond. Such experience not only builds new knowledge and skills but also broadens professional networks and provides insights valuable in senior roles. Healthcare requires a diversity of leaders with mindsets that can navigate complexity, have the flexibility to adapt to frequent change, as well as enthusiasm for working collaboratively across professional and organizational boundaries. https://lnkd.in/enDfzsrh
