Designing a leadership development program for surgeons.
BACKGROUND
Although numerous leadership development programs (LDPs) exist in health care, no programs have been specifically designed to meet the needs of surgeons. This study aimed to elicit practicing surgeons' motivations and desired goals for leadership training to design an evidence-based LDP in surgery.


METHODS
At a large academic health center, we conducted semistructured interviews with 24 surgical faculty members who voluntarily applied and were selected for participation in a newly created LDP. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using analyst triangulation and thematic coding to extract major themes regarding surgeons' motivations and perceived needs for leadership knowledge and skills. Themes from interview responses were then used to design the program curriculum specifically to meet the leadership needs of surgical faculty.


RESULTS
Three major themes emerged regarding surgeons' motivations for seeking leadership training: (1) Recognizing key gaps in their formal preparation for leadership roles; (2) Exhibiting an appetite for personal self-improvement; and (3) Seeking leadership guidance for career advancement. Participants' interviews revealed four specific domains of knowledge and skills that they indicated as desired takeaways from a LDP: (1) leadership and communication; (2) team building; (3) business acumen/finance; and (4) greater understanding of the health care context.


CONCLUSIONS
Interviews with surgical faculty members identified gaps in prior leadership training and demonstrated concrete motivations and specific goals for participating in a formal leadership program. A LDP that is specifically tailored to address the needs of surgical faculty may benefit surgeons at a personal and institutional level.
Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Gregory A
GA
Jaffe
Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Electronic address: jcprad@med.umich.edu.
Jason C
JC
Pradarelli
Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Christy Harris
CH
Lemak
Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michael W
MW
Mulholland
Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Justin B
JB
Dimick
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008824:Michigan; D009042:Motivation; D016730:Program Development; D036301:Qualitative Research; D066231:Surgeons / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology
Faculty development; Faculty surgeons; Leadership curriculum; Leadership training