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
8/3/2019 Medical Leaders
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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
8/3/2019 Medical Leaders
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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.
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