The material below caught our eye because Cambridge Management Group  over the past three decades has helped to develop physicians all over America to be leaders in aligning the clinical missions and fiscal/administrative obligations of healthcare institutions.

Cheryl Pegus, M.D., director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation at New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center,  in this video and text gave Medscape her views on developing physician leaders. Among her observations:

“If you look at healthcare organizations and associations, only a few of them are led by physicians. The healthcare environment has changed, however, and physician expertise and leadership are required.”

“Many physicians start their careers knowing that they’d like to take leadership roles. These are people who we see getting combined MD/MBA or MD/MPH degrees. There are those who are within their career and decide to go back to school, so they go to graduate medical education programs or take specialized courses being offered throughout the country. These are important programs. They are necessary to add skills and are very important as we look at the future of physician leadership.”

“Here are some tips for those who are thinking of physician leadership roles:

• “Go ahead and get the training and additional education. You’ll learn a lot about predictive modeling, data analytics, reimbursement, clinical trials, regulation, and the roles of different people on a team that are necessary for success and improving clinical care.”
• “Join organizations or associations that allow you to see the work of colleagues whom you will need going forward.’’
• “Find a good mentor—someone who can not only provide advice and guidance but also constructive criticism…. You can develop your network today, and it can be a network that supports you throughout your career.’’
• “Learn how to collaborate and lead as a team. … As a physician leader, it is important that you not think of you, the individual, but think of the important role that every member of the team brings to the table. You will find that you’re able to not only innovate and implement faster, but your execution will really exemplify the diversity of the team that you’ve brought together.’’
• Never forget that you’re a physician. … As physician leaders become more important in a value-based reimbursement world, we should celebrate and support the physicians who are willing to step up to those roles.’’

To read and hear all her comments, please his this link.