Targeted needs assessment for a leadership curriculum in a medical college of a developing country

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: Leadership is an important competency expected of medical graduates. However, formal leadership curricula have been adopted sparingly and there is no reported curriculum specifically developed for resource-constrained healthcare settings that face unique challenges.We conducted a targeted needs assessment to assess perspectives of students, faculty members and academic leaders regarding the leadership-related competencies required for an undergraduate medical curriculum at a private medical college in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A mixed method design was adopted. For the quantitative arm, a questionnaire was completed by 227 undergraduate medical students to assess leadership potential and perceptions regarding a leadership curriculum. For the qualitative arm, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted with nineteen faculty members and two academic leaders for their perspective on required competencies and ideal teaching, learning and assessment methodology. Results: Faculty, academic leaders and students agreed on the definitions of leadership, perceived existing leadership qualities in students, and need for a formal integrated, longitudinal leadership curriculum. However, there were differences of opinion among stakeholders regarding preferred modes of learning that need to be reconciled for an effective curriculum. Conclusions: The study reported can inform the design of an innovative leadership curriculum in resource-constrained context.