The leader and leadership curriculum is woven and integrated throughout all four years of undergraduate medical education starting on the first day. It focuses on professional identity formation, development of relevant knowledge and skills, and learning through experience. Specific topics include: leadership types; personality and leadership; emotional intelligence; effective communication; self-assessment and peer support; crisis communication; leaders, managers, and followers; team building; performance under stress; effective leadership in context; organizational systems and leadership. Each session is based on at least one element of the conceptual framework. Various pedagogical styles and venues are used, including interactive plenary sessions, flipped classrooms, small group exercises, group discussions, applied clinical and field settings. “Near peers” (more senior medical students) and core faculty facilitate small group discussions about leadership in health care settings. This curriculum forms a foundation for leader and leadership education and development post medical school.
| Leader and Leadership Sessions: Medical Students | |||
| Session Title | Who | Purpose | Leader- Follower Conceptual Framework Focus |
| Introduction and Overview of Leadership | MS1 | To introduce principles and types of leadership and to have students discuss leadership experiences | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T, O |
| Emotional Intelligence and Personality | MS1 | To discuss emotional intelligence relevant to leadership and introduce personality | Ch, Cp, Cm, P, I |
| Patient Experience | MS1 | To experience medicine and leadership from patient's perspective | Cp, Cm, P, I |
| Film and Leadership | MS1 | To learn and discuss leadership in medical and military settings | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, I, T |
| Personality and Leadership | MS1 | To discuss personality relevant to leadership | Ch, Cp, Cm, P, I |
| Leadership Challenge Course | MS1 | To perform as a team of leaders and followers | Cp, Cx, Cm, T |
| Roles of Context and Organization | MS1 | To discuss leadership at the organizational level | Cx, Cm, T, O |
| Effective Communication | MS1 | To learn and practice effective communication skills and techniques | Ch, Cp, Cm, P, I, T |
| Informational and Decision Briefings | MS1 | To practice communicating clearly and effectively | Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I |
| Crisis Communication and Performance | MS1 | To learn and practice effective communication in stressful and crisis situations | Cx, Cm, P, I, T |
| Understanding Patients | MS1 | To foster compassion for the patient and an understanding of the competencies required for success in care | Cp, Cx, I, T |
| Self-Assessment of Leadership Elements | MS2 | To discuss value of self-assessment to improve leadership | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P |
| Leadership in Historical Context | MS2 | To examine leadership lessons in an actual historic military medical event | Cp, Cx, Cm, T, O |
| Leaders, Managers, Followers | MS2 | To discuss follower types and distinction with Managers and Leaders | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T |
| Peer Support | MS2 | To discuss value of peer input to develop as leaders | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T |
| Team Building | MS2 | To discuss key elements for effective teams | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, T |
| Clerkship Sessions (multiple) | MS2/3 | To develop professional identity; Interprofessional team building; Clinical leadership: lessons learned | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T |
| Team Performance under Stress | MS3 | To discuss and practice teamwork under stress | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, I, T |
| Cross-Cultural Communication | MS3 | To discuss the importance of understanding different cultures for communication | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T, O |
| Advanced Role-Based Leadership | MS4 | To discuss self, peer, and team-based leadership assessment in medical field simulations | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T, O |
| Operational and Strategic Public Communication | MS4 | To understand the tactical, operational, and strategic dimension of medical leadership; Learn and practice communication to the public | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T, O |
| Medical Field Simulation | MS4 | To practice leadership practice in field settings: application of the leadership assessment tools | Ch, Cp, Cx, Cm, P, I, T, O |
