Physician Leadership Development: A Comparative Study of Two Approaches

This article introduces and describes a comparative study of two approaches to physician leadership development conducted during a research program in collaboration with a major healthcare organization. The research contrasts two class designs that teach the same subjects: a homogenous leadership program where the cohort is composed solely of physicians, and an inter-professional education (IPE) cohort integrating physicians, nurses, and administrators into the training environment. Using a mixed-methods design, the study measured changes in leadership attributes, communication skills, and information exchange within teams and the organization. The study provides several interesting insights outside the construct of the research as well. The overall research findings suggest that inter-professional training environments foster more accurate self-perception, relational trust, and collaborative competencies as well as a decrease in self-perceived burnout and affiliation with healthcare objectives.