Fiona Pathiraja: Investing in future clinical leaders
6 Apr, 11 | by BMJ Group
For a medic still just under thirty, I have deviated from the traditional medical career path several times. Working as a healthcare management consultant, setting up a start up enterprise and being on secondment to the Department of Health have broadened my understanding of the healthcare landscape.
The controversy over the planned NHS reforms has got me thinking about clinical leadership. Empowered clinical leaders will be crucial to implementing the reforms and the NHS should look to other industries for lessons on developing future leaders. Whilst junior doctors are treated as bottom of a hierarchy, their private sector counterparts are nurtured, trained and valued. Retaining and investing in talent is big business. Other industries wouldn’t dream of labelling the next generation of leaders with the pejorative term “junior.” Yet this is exactly what we do to future medical leaders. more…
