Faculty leadership development: A case study of a synergistic approach.

INTRODUCTION: Ongoing leadership development is essential for academic health center faculty members to respond to increasing environmental complexity. At the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, an 8-month program, based on Conger's leadership development approach emphasizing conceptual understanding, skill building, feedback and personal growth was offered to mid-level faculty charged with developing educational programs, clinical services, and/or research initiatives. We studied how specific learning methods catering to different learning approaches contributed to improving leadership competencies. METHODS: Session and program evaluations, participant interviews, mentor surveys, and supervisor interviews were used for data collection. Themes were identified through open coding with use of constant comparative methods to help find patterns in the data. RESULTS: Readings and classroom modules provided a broadened, holistic understanding of leadership; role plays and action plans helped participants apply and practice leadership skills; self-assessments and feedback from peers and mentors provided specifics for focusing development efforts; and personal growth exercises provided opportunities to reflect and consider fresh perspectives. Anchoring learning methods around a real-time project led to improved leadership competencies and personal confidence as reported by participants, supervisors and mentors. CONCLUSION: A faculty leadership development program that integrates understanding, skill building, feedback and personal growth and connects multiple learning methods can provide the synergy to facilitate behavior change and organizational growth.

Optimizing the Use of an Online Self-assessment Exam to Promote Self-directed Learning Behaviors in Medical Students.

Online self-assessment exams (SAEs) can be used to encourage self-directed learning (SDL) in medical education, but their effectiveness depends on how they are incorporated into the curriculum. In this pilot, we applied adult learning principles to the curricular design for implementing an online SAE in the neurology clerkship. We examined student perceptions of the efficacy in promoting SDL behaviors by analyzing survey responses from 76 medical students in the clerkship. Factors in the design and implementation of the SAE that promoted SDL behaviors included fostering autonomy, promoting paced study, broadening content exposure, encouraging self-reflection, and providing content with perceived value.

Factors Important to Top Clinical Performance in Emergency Medicine Residency: Results of an Ideation Survey and Delphi Panel.

OBJECTIVES: We explore attributes, traits, background, skills, and behavioral factors important to top clinical performance in emergency medicine (EM) residency. METHODS: We used a two-step process-an ideation survey with the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors and a modified Delphi technique-to identify: 1) factors important to top performance, 2) preresidency factors that predict it, and 3) the best ways to measure it. In the Delphi, six expert educators in emergency care assessed the presence of the factors from the ideation survey results in their top clinical performers. Consensus on important factors that were exemplified in >60% of top performers were retained in three Delphi rounds as well as predictors and measures of top performance. RESULTS: The ideation survey generated 81 responses with ideas for each factor. These were combined into 89 separate factors in seven categories: attributes, personal traits, emergency department (ED)-specific skills and behaviors, general skill set, background, preresidency predictors, and ways to measure top performance. After three Delphi rounds, the panel achieved consensus on 20 factors important to top clinical performance. This included two attributes, seven traits, one general skill set, and 10 ED-specific skills and behaviors. Interview performance was considered the sole important preresidency predictor and clinical competency committee results the sole important measure of top performance. CONCLUSION: Our expert panel identified 20 factors important to top clinical performance in EM residency. Future work is needed to further explore how individuals learn and develop these factors.

How learning transfers: a study of how graduates of a faculty education fellowship influenced the behaviors and practices of their peers and organizations.

PURPOSE: Faculty development programs have been criticized for their limited assessment methods, focused only on the learners and limited to satisfaction measures or self-reported behavior changes. Assessment of organizational impact is lacking. This study explored the impact of faculty education fellowship graduates on their organization and how that impact occurred. METHOD: The design was a qualitative study of 13 departments across three institutions, partnered with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In-depth interviews with 13 supervisors and 25 peers of graduates were conducted in fall 2012 to examine graduates' organizational impact related to program purposes: enhancing teaching skills, pursuing scholarship in education, and developing leadership potential. Triangulation, purposive sampling, rich descriptions, and member checks minimized bias and optimized transferability. RESULTS: A model of how graduates of a faculty education fellowship transfer learning to peers and their organizations emerged. Analysis of interview responses showed that in the presence of environmental facilitators, graduates exhibited enhanced confidence and five new behaviors. Graduates raised peer awareness, leading to changes in individual and group practices and development of shared peer understanding. Analysis suggests they facilitated a culture of continuous learning around teaching, scholarship, and leadership. CONCLUSIONS: This study enhances traditional assessment of faculty education fellowship programs by examining the impact that graduates had on peers and work groups. A model is proposed for how graduates interact with and impact work group processes and practices. This model can facilitate more comprehensive program assessments, which can demonstrate program impact beyond the individual participant.