Seeking Clarity: Self Leadership’s Role in Professional Formation

• In Event: Making Health Care Better: Leadership Practices Across the Medical Education Continuum

Short Description

It takes more than the mastery of medical knowledge to truly become a physician. This presenter will explore the concept of professional formation – the balance between knowing and doing, competency and identity - through the lens of self leadership, and the frameworks of leadership intelligence (Kouzes and Posner), and emotional intelligence (Goleman).

Detailed Abstract

The term professional formation has been part of medical education efforts since the publication of the Flexner Report in 1910. The importance of this major recommendation cannot be understated. In fact, Cooke, Irby, & O’Brien (2010) affirm its position of importance in their centennial follow-up report. Although they outline five major goals of professional formation in medical education, they do not define the term more specifically. As a result, medical educators find themselves in a place that cries out for a definition that is quite specific so curricular efforts can be designed that will enable medical educators to offer feedback on assessment of professionalism (Cooke, Irby & O’Brien, 2010).

According to Pfeil (2015), “professional identity formation and professionalism competency, while inextricable, are not the same (pg. 148).” For many medical educators, understanding the difference may mean the difference between a successful effort to bring medical students and residents to a high level of competence, and a meager effort that is halfheartedly designed to meet minimum accreditation standards. This presentation aims to bring clarity to the term professional formation and define self-leadership’s role in professional competency efforts.
The author divides professional formation into two distinct parts: professional identity (Role) which includes the traits, traditions, and trappings of physician-hood (what it is that physicians do), and professional competency (Expression) which focuses on how the traits, traditions, and trappings of physician-hood are expressed in the patient or team encounter (how well this is accomplished).

Since the expression of professionalism is a uniquely individual process, efforts imposed upon individuals by educators (externally), like many extrinsic motivators, lack permanency (Pink, 2009). The goal of professional formation efforts in medical education is to take physicians to the place where they ‘are’ as a physician leader thinks, feels and acts professionally. Just knowing how or acting is not the endgame, rather ‘becoming’ is (Cruess & Cruess, 2015). It is self-leadership that takes one from just ‘knowing’ to ‘becoming.’

The author will discuss application of the leadership practices work of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (leadership intelligence), and Daniel Goleman (emotional intelligence), that are foundational to self-leadership principles. Offering this perspective on professional competency will provide the medical educator a blueprint for curricular development that will bring about professional identity formation that exceeds 21st century expectations.

Participant

• Barry A. Doublestein, Leadership Solutions