Manager Introduction
In this module we will look at the CanMEDS Role of Physician as Manager. Dr. Ross Walker, Associate Dean of Postdraduate Medical Education here at Queen’s introduces the CanMEDS Role of Manager for you.
Sometimes managing can feel a bit like juggling - how many things are you juggling?
There are an enormous number of things that we are required to manage on a daily basis. Some of these are related to our work, others are specific to our lives outside medicine. There is also a set of things that effect both spheres and remind us that there is not a clear divide between our personal and work lives. Our health, relationships, responsibilities and obligations to others, time demands and financial concerns are always with us.
In medicine patients’ acute needs and the unending demands of health care can make it difficult to prioritize anything above the needs of the person in front of us, the person in pain or who is dying. In this module we hope to explore these various areas of our lives that require management and suggest some tools to help you you negotiate these competing demands as a resident, and over the course of a career.
CanMEDS Manager Key Competencies
1. Participate in activities that contribute to the effectiveness of their healthcare organizations and systems;
2. Manage their practice and career effectively;
3. Allocate finite healthcare resources appropriately;
from the College of Family Physicians
Definition:
As Managers, family physicians are central to the primary health care team and integral participants in healthcare organizations. They use resources wisely and organize practices which are a resource to their patient population to sustain and improve health, coordinating care within the other members of the health care system.
Description:
Family physicians interact with their work environment as individuals, as members of teams or groups, and as participants in the health system locally, regionally and nationally. They are often the first contact with the health care system and need to coordinate care with other members of the health care system, including the community. They manage everyday practice activities involving co-workers in the development of processes of care, human resource policy, and financial management as well as balancing their personal lives. They organize their practices using information systems as a resource to their patient population. Family physicians require the ability to prioritize, use health resources wisely, and effectively execute tasks collaboratively with colleagues. Family physicians are actively engaged as integral participants in decision-making in the operation of the health care system.
Module Objectives
At the completion of this module you will be able to:
describe the various ways in which physicians are managers
describe a framework for prioritizing competing demands
identify and describe some of the management roles that your colleagues might fulfill outside of work
list the ways in which physicians enter into management positions and the skills required to be most effective in these roles
outline the leadership skills from the other CanMEDS Roles that are essential for managers
reflect on the ways in which you manage things in your life and how well you do at achieving a healthy balance
set goals for yourself to effectively manage the things in your life in a way that places priority on that which you value most