Leadership development for medical students--beyond the prescription pad.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Physicians are often perceived as leaders in their communities and are expected to participate in politics, business, and volunteer activities. Medical students receive little guidance about becoming effective community leaders. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: We developed a leadership training program for medical students. Participation in the program was voluntary. The principal forum for this program was a dinner seminar series, which emphasized presentations by current community leaders and identification of leadership opportunities in which medical students could participate. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Information collected at the onset of the program identified the students' concern and priorities regarding leadership activities. Seventy-seven percent of participating students identified good communication skills as the most important quality of a leader. In identifying an issue in which physicians might become involved, students noted only medically related issues, such as access to health care. No long term evaluation data are available to assess the effect of this program. CONCLUSION: Medical school curricula should teach students the leadership skills they will need to participate in community activities.