xRead - Outside the Box (March 2024) - Full Articles

Grigsby

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medical education and engage in the practice of psychiatry. Although they are ex pected to demonstrate leadership skills, they may not hold a leadership position and title that connotes formal leadership responsibilities and concomitant account ability. Some of these individuals may demonstrate leadership potential that is largely based on what they have learned “on the job.” In turn, they may be selected for a formal leadership position that carries a formal leadership title. However, demon strating leadership potential is not the same as knowing, doing, and being a leader. 1 In fact, what they have demonstrated may be limited to managerial rather than leader ship potential. Leading may look easy, but it is not. In fact, failure is common. 2 Advanced leadership training does not guarantee success. But it is highly likely it im proves one’s chances of success! Advancing Your Leadership Skills This article’s target audience is experienced psychiatrists who are considering advanced leadership training. If you are not an experienced psychiatrist, please keep reading because you may find it to be helpful even if you are in an earlier stage of your career. For example, readers who are in the process of considering or applying to medical school have more options than in the past. If you are drawn to medicine and business, you no longer must choose between medical school and the MD degree or business school and the MBA degree. Today, there are 65 joint MD/MBA degrees from which to choose. 3 Typically, these programs require 5 years of full-time study: 3 years of full-time medical curriculum followed by 1 year of full time business school curric ulum and a final year of combined study. If you are certain you possess the aptitude, desire, ambition, resources, and stamina to pursue both degrees, it is a viable route to advanced leadership training. If you are uncertain or ambivalent, take heed. It is likely this course of action is not for you. Before engaging in formal advanced leadership training, you should engage in a care ful and thorough assessment of your motivation for pursuing another credential. You should have a clear understanding of the outcome and impact you desire. As mental health professionals, most psychiatrists understand the importance of gaining insight as to our own temperament, preferences, and motivation. The days when every psy chiatry resident experienced psychoanalysis as part of training are long gone. The need for insight, thoughtful reflection, and mindfulness is emphasized during psychiatric training. Knowing “where you are” is critically important as you consider investing in advanced leadership training. You should consider this investment in the same way you consider investing in stock or real estate: it comes at a price, re quires time and energy, and carries risk. Risk might be expressed as return on invest ment (ROI). In the best case, you profit from the investment, or break even. However, you may not reap the rewards for which you hoped. Unlike a stock, you cannot cut your loss by “dumping” and harvesting the residual value. Your personal and financial investment is a sunk cost; it has been incurred and cannot be recovered. Exploring your motivation to pursue advanced leadership training is critical. In this process, consider drawing on the wisdom of others to learn why you should not pur sue advanced leadership training. The Association of MBAs 4 suggests four reasons not to pursue an MBA degree that can be applied to the MHA, MPA, or other graduate degree programs related to leadership in the health enterprise: UNDERSTANDING WHERE YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

1. You are not sure of what else to do. 2. Increasing your salary is your only goal.