Medical Students’ perceptions and attitudes toward Medical Leadership and Management

Sami Hamdan Alzahrani; Mukhtiar Baig; Anoud R. Omer; Mohammed R. Algethami

doi:10.12669/pjms.37.1.2406

Sami Hamdan Alzahrani, Dr. Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6786-7184
Mukhtiar Baig, Prof Professor of Medical Education and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0058-2031
Anoud R. Omer, Dr. Clinical Research Unit, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed R. Algethami, Dr. Medical Resident, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0554-4790

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2406

Keywords: Medical Leadership, Medical Management, Attitude and Perception, Education

Abstract

Objectives: To find out medical students’ perceptions and attitudes toward medical leadership and management (MLM).

Methods: A total of 336 medical students from the 2nd to 6th academic years from King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), were included in this cross-sectional study. This study was conducted in January-February 2020. The students were asked about their perceptions, attitudes, and interests in the leadership of medical care and clinicians. A four-part questionnaire was used for collecting data. SPSS-21 was used for analysis.

Results: The participants included 172 (51.2%) males and 164 (48.8%) females. In total, 105 (31.3%) participants agreed that they had been very well educated about their perception, behavior, and interest in the field of medical leadership and clinic management, and 175 (52.1%) students agreed that clinicians should influence management decisions in a healthcare setting. Overall, 167 (49.7%) students agreed that management/leadership skills are important for clinicians. In total, 145 students (43.2%) desired to have more leadership training in medical school, and 129 (38.4%) students agreed to seek additional leadership/management training in their postgraduate research studies. When asked about their self-perception of good leadership skills, the students indicated that good leadership skills included integrity (47.9%), conflict resolution (46.7%), organization (44.4%), confidence (41.9%), communication (40.5%), self-reflection (40.2%), time management (33.6%), the ability to motivate others (36.9%), and the ability to keep calm under stress (33.3%).

Conclusion: Many students were well aware of the MLM concepts. However, students agreed that management/leadership skills are important for clinicians, and there should be more leadership training in medical schools.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2406

How to cite this:
Alzahrani SH, Baig M, Omer AR, Algethami MR. Medical Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Medical Leadership and Management. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(1):223-228. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2406

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.