An elective with a difference
By Jessica Court and Cristina Kinsella, final year medical students from the University of Birmingham
It´s been four months since we completed our elective at the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM), and we’re still appreciating the diverse, unexpected and unique experiences we’ve had. We attended a wide range of events, met with a number of inspiring clinicians, and had opportunities to develop bespoke resources for medical students in the future.
Our week started with what we think matters most; developing leadership and management in the undergraduate curriculum. 'Tomorrow’s Leaders, Today' symposium emphasised the importance that it’s time to come out of the dark and encourage medical professionals and students to become better leaders. We’ve taken on this challenge and are working hard with FMLM to ensure future medical students can benefit from the collaboration with FMLM as much as we have.
We had the opportunity to shadow Peter Lees, Chief Executive and Medical Director of FMLM at their Council meeting. It was inspiring to meet members of FMLM Council, and a great opportunity to understand how the organisation is run! Hearing the latest updates from the Faculty was fascinating and the work they are involved with to help professionalise medical leadership and management really validated what we’re trying to achieve in our careers.
Epitomising their commitment to this, was the importance placed on the National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow Scheme and we were fortunate enough to meet some of them on our elective and find out what they’d been doing at their host organisations for their year out of training.
We spent time with Dr Junie Wong and her supervisor, Professor Tim Briggs, who are working at NHS Improvement and leading Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT). This is a programme designed to improve quality and efficiency within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations. It’s going to be a game changer within the NHS and it was fantastic to be able to join a site visit at St. George’s Hospital, London, to see it in action and see how much one can achieve as a clinician engaged in medical leadership and management.
We also joined the Clinical Fellows at two of their training sessions. We heard from the Health Foundation’s Director of Research and Economics, Anita Charlesworth, about the current state of NHS finances and what’s really going on behind the headlines, as well as their Chief Executive, Dr Jennifer Dixon, who gave an insightful and honest account of how she has progressed from being a clinician to lead one of the largest independent charities bringing about better health and health care for people in the UK.
Finally, we were given the opportunity to pay it forward. To develop career resources and opportunities for medical students, who like us, are interested in developing a career in medical leadership and management. We produced the second edition of the FMLM Transitions Guide for Medical Students, and an accompanying factsheet on intercalated degrees in leadership and management, to help medical students begin their leadership journey.
We also helped arrange a meeting with the editor of the Student BMJ where, for the first time, we’ll see a non-clinical special edition focussed on the healthcare system and a career in medical leadership and management. We were able to directly plan, from a student’s perspective, what would best engage readers and help them develop.
Further, what we’re most excited about is working with the FMLM and Dr Alex Till (our supervisor who helped us make the most of these opportunities and set up our elective) to develop an FMLM Electives programme exclusively for student members.
We’ve had a fantastic experience. It was refreshing to come across like-minded clinicians at all levels of training, bringing about real-time improvements to the NHS. We can’t wait to help shape it further – be sure to watch this space!