Guidance for undergraduate medical education – integrating the MLCF

The guidance in this document is based on the Medical Leadership Competency Framework. This document focuses specifically on the undergraduate curriculum and has been linked to the new version of Tomorrow’s Doctors, published in 2009 by the General Medical Council, which lays down the outcomes required of medical students. This can clearly be seen in the appendix which maps the outcomes from Tomorrow’s Doctors to the domains within the Medical Leadership Competency Framework.

The guidance emphasises the concept of shared leadership, applying to all engaged in clinical practice, and recognises the potential for qualified doctors to build on the elements described in this document during their further education.

It is important that leadership learning is incorporated within the mainstream curriculum, rather than regarded as something additional or even peripheral to that core. The scenarios used as examples will be invaluable to Medical Schools, and these scenarios may also serve to stimulate novel special study components which will enhance leadership skills further.