Medical Leaders

8/3/2019 Medical Leaders

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/medical-leaders 1/3December 2011

Medical leaders are an integral andvital part of an effective healthservice. While mainly engagedwithin health service deliveryorganisations, they are also criticalto the formulation of effectivehealth policy, governance of clinicalpractice, health service purchasingand the monitoring and reporting of health outcomes.

While not directly involved in the diagnosis

and treatment of patients, it is the

clinical skills and knowledge inherent in

medical training that separate medical

administrators from health service

executives. In making day to day decisions

in health service management, the medical

leader is applying their clinical knowledge

to assess the impact, risk and clinical

outcome of decisions. It is the role of the

medical leader to apply clinical medicine to

the development of policy, strategy, servicedesign, behaviour change and determining

effective clinical outcomes.

The focus, orientation and language of the

clinician are very divergent from that of the

health service manager or executive. Yet

for a health service to function effectively

and efficiently, these two groups must

work collaboratively. It is the role of the

medical leader to bridge this gap in

orientation and interpret the impact of

change across the divide.

Dr David Rankin

Senior Advisor

Child, Youth and Family



To be an effective clinical leader a

doctor must possess a range of skills

and competencies that are not taught at

medical school. This body of knowledge

should include an understanding of

health law, health economics, health

care nancing, health care organisation,

human resource management and the

management of change in a complex

organisation.

Unless a clinician is uent in the language

of executive management they face a very

real risk of frustration and marginalisation

from strategic decision making.

The Bristol Royal Inrmary enquiry

reinforced the principal that practitioners

working outside direct patient care still

have a duty of care to the patients within

their health service, and that they must

ensure the effective and competent

delivery of health services by clinical

staff for whom they are responsible or

associated.

In Australian and New Zealand it is the

Royal Australasian College of Medical

Administrators (RACMA) which is the

recognised body that denes competence

in medical leadership, providing training

and offering ongoing professional

development to medical practitioners who

have moved into clinical leadership as their

chosen medical specialty.

There are a plethora of didactic learning

opportunities that are available to assist

the clinician gain knowledge in the science

of leadership, however the attainment

of competencies in clinical leadership

requires practical workplace based

problem focused learning accompanied

by a structured mentoring programme.

It is this practical supervised experiential

programme that RACMA provides.

The College expects the competent

medical leader to be able to:

Articulate a clear vision

Lead teams to drive improvement inservice quality and safety

CliniCian

MediCal

leader

HealtH exeCutive

Patient Focus Service Orientation

Clinical Outcomes Fiscal Outcomes

Patient Safety Organisational Risk and Assurance

Clinician Performance Organisational Performance

Risk of Harm to patient Media and Reputational Risk

Patient Need Ministerial Priorities

Evidence Based PracticeHigh performing, peer

organisations

New Technology Facility maintenance

Patient Satisfaction Data collection and reporting



Engage constructively and effectively with

management and planning functions

Maintain a contemporary knowledge of

health and management issues

Manage a high quality clinical service in

an environment of limited resources

Maintain strong professional and ethical

standards

Encourage and assist with the education

and research activities in health

Fellowship with RACMA offers specialist

registration in medical administration with

the Medical Board of Australia and theMedical Council of New Zealand.

To be an effective clinical leadera doctor must possess a range ofskills and competencies that arenot taught at medical school.

This body of knowledge shouldinclude an understanding ofhealth law, health economics,health care financing, healthcare organisation, humanresource management and themanagement of change in acomplex organisation.

Medical Leaders

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