Physicians work on multiple teams simultaneously, including physician teams, clinic teams, hospital teams, operating room teams, and patient teams. As their careers progress, physicians may take on leadership roles in departments, hospitals, education, and medical societies. Physicians often struggle with leadership due to barriers like resistance to change and prioritizing clinical work over administrative duties. However, factors like healthcare reform are driving more physicians to take on leadership roles to impact quality of care and advocate for patients. Successful physician leaders demonstrate collaborative, listening and communication skills, humility, and a commitment to mentoring others and balancing life responsibilities with clinical and administrative work.

1. Importance of Leadership for
Physician

2. Can a Physician
Work Alone

3. To practice medicine is to serve in the capacity
of leader or team member on multiple teams
simultaneously at any given time.

4. Teams in Medicine
(Early Career)
• Physician teams
– Fellows
– Senior residents
– Junior residents
– Students
• Clinic teams
– Physicians
– Front desk staff
– Nursing staff
– Ancillary staff
• Hospital Teams
– Physicians
– Nursing staff
– Ward staff
– Ancillary providers
• Operating Room Teams
– Surgeons
– Anesthesia
– Nursing
– Scrub Techs
– OR desk staff
Physician – Patient Team

5. Groups in Medicine
(Mid Career)
• Departmental
– Section chief
– Division head
– Vice chair
– Clinic director
– Lab director
• Hospital
– Partnership leader
– Medical Staff Committees
• Educational
– Student rotation director
– Residency director
– Fellowship director
• School
– Faculty council
– Search committees
• Medical Society
– Committees
– Meeting program
chairs

9. CONTRASTING PHYSICIANS WITH
EXECUTIVE LEADERS
“Physicians as leaders are often like fish out of
water” wrote Dr. Charles Saunders and Bonnie
Hagemann.

10. Physician Barriers to Change
“I’ve always done it this way
“Just wait, next month there will be another article
telling us to do it the opposite way !!
“In my experience ( of ____ years) , I have found
that….”
“At our institution we do it this way !!”
“No one is going to tell ME how to practice
medicine”
“Where did you get your MD !!”

11. Why Choose to Become a Physician Leader
• New challenge
• Personal growth/ achievement
• Ability to impact total health care team
• Desire to be part of the decision making
process
• Patient quality advocate

12. Why NOT to Become a Physician Leader
• Burned out” on clinical medicine
• Get off the call schedule, better life style
• Looking for a way to ease into retirement
• Personal agendas/ vendettas

14. "Physicians have to have enough power and
authority to effect change – to determine how
quality is defined, what protocols will be
developed and how to hold each other
accountable for meeting objectives."
Dennis Butts

15. Factors Driving Physician Leadership
Interest
• Greatest change in delivery & payment systems since1966
Medicare
• Greater emphasis on quality & patient safety
• Reimbursement mechanisms to pay for value, not volume
• Growth of population health management
• Increased care locations move from acute care to
ambulatory/home care
• Practice of medicine becoming more standardized
• Newer generation of physicians expecting more structure
• Continuing movement toward the employment of physicians
• Clinical integration not nebulous any longer – FTC
Requirements

16. Leadership Characteristics
• Collaborative and cooperative
• Self-confidence and mental resilience
• Strong listening skills
• Communication skills
• Humility
• Lack of arrogance
• Appreciative of others
• Mentoring
• Vision
• Values life balance — "Real doctor, real person”
At the event, Lawrence G. Smith, MD, executive vice president and physician in chief, and dean
of the School of Medicine at North Shore-LIJ, shared 10 characteristics that the health system
uses to select leaders for the program — and judge leadership potential.

17. 17
Role
As Leaders, physicians engage with others to
contribute to a vision of a high-quality health
care system and take responsibility for the
delivery of excellent patient care through their
activities as clinicians, administrators, scholars,
or teachers.