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Surgical leadership: the British concept.

ABSTRACT: In the UK all surgeons need to have leadership skills as, despite the increasing importance of team management, the consultant surgeon still has overall responsibility for the patient under their care. Poor care is evident when clinical leadership fails. The UK hospital system is non-hierarchical within the consultant body. The clinical surgical manager in a hospital may not be the most senior clinician and the role will often rotate. The manager may or may not have the characteristics of a leader, and very often surgical leaders in a hospital may have no formal role. They are, however, essential to the functioning of the service. Nationally the roles in which professional leadership may reside are numerous. The country has multiple Surgical Royal Colleges and innumerable specialty associations and sub specialty associations all of which have councils and presidents and the multiple specialty and sub-specialty associations normally will have an annual meeting. In the long term this is probably unsustainable and although consolidation is desirable it is hard to achieve. In summary, good surgical leadership is found in many settings in the UK, some in formal roles within hospitals, some in the colleges and specialty associations and sometimes in individuals with no formal role but the capacity to make things happen.

SUBMITTER: Primrose JN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6754055 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Surgical leadership: the British concept.

Primrose John N JN

Innovative surgical sciences 20190510 2

In the UK all surgeons need to have leadership skills as, despite the increasing importance of team management, the consultant surgeon still has overall responsibility for the patient under their care. Poor care is evident when clinical leadership fails. The UK hospital system is non-hierarchical within the consultant body. The clinical surgical manager in a hospital may not be the most senior clinician and the role will often rotate. The manager may or may not have the characteristics of a lead ...[more]

PMID: 31579805

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Project description:BackgroundThe evolving landscape of academic surgery demands leaders who are not only effective clinicians and researchers, but also administrators able to navigate complex hospital organizations, financial pressures in the era of quality measures, and inclusion of an increasingly diverse workforce. The aim of this study was to characterize achievements and assess perspectives in becoming a surgical chair in order to guide young surgeons in their career trajectories to surgical leadership.MethodsA survey encompassing demographics, surgical training, nonmedical advanced degrees, academic advancement, and leadership experiences was sent via electronic mail to members of the American College of Surgeons Society of Surgical Chairs in December 2018.ResultsOf 191 Society of Surgical Chairs members, 52 (27.2%) completed the survey, with 6 (11.5%) women, 40 (76.9%) white, and the majority becoming chair between ages 46 and 60 (n = 39, 75.0%). Training beyond residency included fellowships (n = 41, 78.8%) and advanced nonmedical degrees (n = 15, 28.8%). Median H-index was 47 (range 10-120) with 126 (5-500) research publications, and grants received was 2 (0-38) for federal and 5 (0-43) for industry. Female chairs appear to have fewer nonmedical degrees (n = 1) and no difference in age at becoming chair (66.7% vs 79.6% between ages 46 and 60), H-index (26 [10-41] vs 49 [17-120]), or publications (93 [10-189] vs 150 [5,500]). Prior educational (n = 36, 69.2%) and clinical (n = 44, 84.6%) leadership roles were common, with 30 chairs (57.7%) having held both roles. Experiences which respondents felt have most helped them function as chair included serving as a clinical division director (n = 37, 71.2%), residency program director (n = 28, 53.8%), leadership courses (n = 28, 53.8%), a research career (n = 22, 42.3%), and being a vice/interim chair (n = 15, 28.8%). Personal traits felt to be most important in becoming a successful chair included being effective at communication (n = 37, 71.2%), collaborative (n = 35, 67.3%), trustworthy (n = 30, 57.7%), and a problem-solver (n = 27, 51.9%).ConclusionBecoming a department surgical chair often involves not only surgical subspecialty expertise, but also nonmedical training and prior leadership roles, which help facilitate development of skills integral to navigating the collaborative and diverse nature of academic surgery in the current era.

Project description:IntroductionAn overview of the requirements for the head of a surgical department in Germany should be given.Materials and methodsA retrospective literature research on surgical professional policy publications of the last 10 years in Germany was conducted.ResultsSurveys show that commercial influences on medical decisions in German hospitals have today become an everyday, predominantly negative, actuality. Nevertheless, in one survey, 82.9% of surgical chief physicians reported being very satisfied with their profession, compared with 61.5% of senior physicians and only 43.4% of hospital specialists. Here, the chief physician is challenged. Only 70% of those surveyed stated that they could rely on their direct superiors when difficulties arose at work, and only 34.1% regarded feedback on the quality of their work as sufficient. The high distress rate in surgery (58.2% for all respondents) has led to a lack in desirability and is reflected in a shortage of qualified applicants for resident positions. In various position papers, surgical residents (only 35% describe their working conditions as good) demand improved working conditions. Chief physicians are being asked to facilitate a suitable work-life balance with regular working hours and a corporate culture with participative management and collegial cooperation. Appreciation of employee performance must also be expressed. An essential factor contributing to dissatisfaction is that residents fill a large part of their daily working hours with non-physician tasks. In surveys, 70% of respondents stated that they spend up to ≥3 h a day on documentation and secretarial work.DiscussionThe chief physician is expected to relieve his medical staff by employing non-physician assistants to take care of non-physician tasks. Transparent and clearly structured training to achieve specialist status is essential. It has been shown that a balanced work-life balance can be achieved for surgeons. Family and career can be reconciled in appropriately organized departments by making use of part-time and shift models that exclude 24-h shifts and making working hours more flexible.

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Surgical leadership: the British concept.

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Surgical leadership: the British concept.

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