ABSTRACT #4

Creating A Leadership Curriculum For Junior Qi Coaches

Caitlyn Kuwata, Helen Fernandez

PURPOSE AND GOALS: Geriatricians are well-equipped to manage the complexities of caring for the growing population of older adults. However, there is an inadequate number of physicians trained in the special care needs of older adults. To help fill this critical workforce gap, geriatricians are often recruited to leadership positions by health systems seeking to meet the needs of older adults. The ACGME milestones for Geriatrics include the development of leadership skills such as competence in quality improvement and expertise in interprofessional and team-based communication. In the geriatrics and integrated geriatric/ palliative medicine fellowship at Mount Sinai, the quality improvement (QI) curriculum offers an opportunity to master these competencies. Fellows who are in a 2-year fellowship program (geriatrics and integrated geriatrics/palliative medicine fellows) become Junior Coaches of QI projects in their 2nd year of fellowship. For some, this is one of their first formal “leadership” positions. The goal of this education project was to add a leadership component to the quality improvement curriculum to improve the fellows’ leadership training experience.

METHODS: A needs assessment survey was developed based on a review of published leadership curricula. To evaluate for content and face validity, the survey questions were reviewed and discussed with experts in QI and education. The results of the needs assessment guided the design of a one year curriculum with monthly small group lectures on various leadership topics. The goal of these lectures is to review and discuss how these leadership topics apply to the real-life leadership scenarios that the fellows encounter in their leadership activities as Junior QI coaches. After completion of this year-long curriculum, a post-intervention assessment will be conducted to determine the impact of this curriculum.

EVALUATION PLAN: The needs assessment survey was sent to all 2nd year fellows to assess their perceived knowledge and comfort regarding various leadership topics.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS: The survey response rate was 85% (6 of 7 fellows). The fellows felt most knowledgeable on the leadership topics of creating/sharing a vision and working with different communication styles. They felt the least knowledgeable on topics of managing conflict, and eliciting/ receiving feedback. They felt the most comfortable using the following leadership skills: creating a space for others to feel heard, working with different communication styles, and designating and defining roles. They felt the least comfortable using the skills of receiving and giving feedback.

REFLECTIVE CRITIQUE: Graduates of geriatric fellowship training must be prepared for leadership positions in healthcare. In order to be proficient in these vital competencies, they must have opportunities to learn and practice these skills.

This project identified the specific leadership skill needs of our QI Junior Coaches and created an environment for them to synthesize the material through discussion and application as project leaders.