Factors related to the role of programme directors in association with quality in postgraduate medical education – a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundEducational leaders have been pointed out as being important for quality of medical education. However, their actual influence on the education can be limited. At the postgraduate level, educational leadership and its connection with quality is underexplored and knowledge about how to increase its impact is lacking. An increased understanding could be used in order to prioritize actions for strengthening the role. The aim of this study was to investigate factors related to the role of programme director associated with quality in postgraduate medical education.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out. A questionnaire was sent to programme directors in Sweden (n = 519) comprising questions about background factors, work characteristics, work tasks, hindering and enabling factors, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. A logistic regression and classification tree were used to identify factors associated with high qualitative education, defined as compliance with national regulations.ResultsThe response rate was 54% (n = 279). In total, 62% of the programme directors reported high quality and factors associated with high quality included experiences of communication with residents, superiors and supervisors, and support from the supervisors. Other factors were consensus regarding postgraduate medical education at the workplace, adequate financial resources, the programme directors’ competence, and their perceived impact on education. Factors of particular importance seemed to differ depending on whether the programme directors were responsible for one or for multiple units. Most high-quality education was found in cases where programme directors were responsible for a single unit and perceived sufficient impact on education.ConclusionsThese results indicated that there was an association between factors related to programme director and quality in postgraduate medical education. The findings pointed out the importance of combining activities at both individual, group and organizational levels. Relational aspects should not be underestimated; faculty development and involvement are crucial.

Bringing clarity to the leadership of teaching and learning in higher education: a systematic review

“…In the papers, the concept of educational leadership is used especially within medical education and within specific development cases in that field (Laksov and Tomson, 2017; Sundberg et al. , 2017; Wijk et al. , 2019).…”

“…Context: The emphasis of the ten papers seems to be on leaders of the HE sector in the context of change. In the papers, the concept of educational leadership is used especially within medical education and within specific development cases in that field (Laksov and Tomson, 2017;Sundberg et al, 2017;Wijk et al, 2019). The Global North societies (7/10 papers) and especially, the Swedish context (4/10 papers) is accentuated in the educational leadership papers.…”

“…The nature of leadership: Educational leadership refers to leaders who work lower in the formal hierarchy and often without position-related power (Wijk et al, 2019). Rather than formal leaders, educational leaders are teacher-scholars, such as programme directors, who deal with practical tasks.…”

The state of infectious disease training in Germany before introduction of the new board certification in internal medicine and infectious diseases: past experience and future expectations

“…Wijk et al reported that for a successful implementation of a programme it is necessary to form coalitions with others in addition to visions; this is particularly appropriate in the question of microbiology and clinical pharmacy, so that the interdisciplinary exchange is strengthened for all those involved in the project. Further for a successful implementation it is necessary that the educators have enough time and money to create a programme [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Leadership in Swedish Public Organizations: A Research Review in Education and Care

“…The articles about leadership in quality assurance work concern leaders' assessment of quality [6], their work on successfully achieving person-centered care [35], or their efforts to increase participation and inclusion [63]. Some of the articles describe problems in improvement and quality work [46,47], and some show that three factors are of specific importance in quality insurance work: teamwork, a preventive process, and a supportive organizational structure or infrastructure [14,66,68,69].…”