Reflective Practice & Leadership in Medicine & Medical Education

This new, comprehensive website will help medical educators prepare physicians and allied health professionals for the leadership dimensions of their roles. Specifically, this site will help medical professionals apply the principles of Reflective Practice and Leadership (RPL) to all of their responsibilities whether assisting patients, teaching, conducting research, serving as mentors or supporting colleagues. A complete review of the website will equip a medical educator to design and pilot an RPL educational event in his or her own institution. The site offers 4 free hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. The site also provides a 'members only' section (the RPL Matrix) which will serve as a platform for a learning community of professionals around the world who have an interest in reflective practice, leadership and medicine. There is no charge for membership. In 1999, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) identified and adopted six core competencies that residency programs must include to prepare their residents to become new physicians. Similar competencies have been identified by accrediting bodies around the world and are also being applied to licensing and board certification processes. These competencies all include recognition that physicians are routinely called upon to manage complex situations that include a combination of biological, psychological and social factors. To do this effectively, physicians must be able to systematically analyze a situation before, during and after taking action. We refer to this fundamental, cross-cutting skill set as Reflective Practice and Leadership. We define 'Reflective Practice' as the disciplined analysis of complex situations that result in strategic, effective action. We define 'Leadership' as the ability to guide patients, families, staff, and colleagues through threatening and challenging circumstances in clinical, research, and educational settings. The methods detailed in the website are the result of 12 years of work with residents, fellows and practicing physicians in a variety of specialties and settings. Our outcome measures clearly indicate that physician learners find the methods engaging and useful in addressing elements of 4 out of the six core competency domains set forth by the ACGME (patient care, practice-based learning, interpersonal/communication skills and professionalism).