6452 Paediatric emergency medicine leadership – A skill that flourishes in the classroom or the shop floor?

Objectives Demonstrating effective leadership is a key attribute for seniors navigating the demands of the PEM shop floor.¹ A doctor's career growth is often a skills-based and qualification-driven process. Anecdotally junior doctors often struggle identifying the 'real time' learning opportunities to develop shop floor leadership skills, in addition to experiencing difficulties in identifying and accessing appropriate formal leadership courses.² ³ Seniors are often unaware of their influence, or how best to teach leadership – with many opportunities being ad-hoc and unplanned.⁴ Evidence shows that doctors starting their senior careers feel underprepared due to gaps in their leadership knowledge.⁵ The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of leadership training opportunities through the eyes of those that lead within PEM. Methods This questionnaire-based study was conducted in a large district general hospital and was open to senior doctors and nurses across paediatrics and emergency medicine. Results 27 participants responded – 10(37%) EM consultants, 8(30%) paediatric consultants, 7(25%) senior nurses, 2(7%) registrars. Regarding training priorities, 25/27 (93%) agreed to varying degrees that there is a perceived stronger priority placed on learning the 'technical skills' compared to the 'non- technical skills' of PEM leadership during the later stages of training – with 40% strongly agreeing. Only 9/27(33%) had attended a formal leadership course in the last 2 years; 4/9 (43%) felt this had a major impact on their leadership development. All participants agreed to varying degrees that they prioritised 'learning on the job', 'personal reflection' and 'finding inspiration in other clinical colleagues' over and above more formal classroom-based leadership training. Overall, a majority [26/27 (96%)] agree that there should be a compulsory shop floor leadership programme for clinicians undertaking PEM training. Conclusion This small and ocalized study has indicated that those working in PED place value on learning and development of leadership skills. There is a need to reduce the gap and redefine the balance between the investment and training priority placed on technical clinical knowledge and the non-technical skills required for effective leadership. The PED is a rich environment to harness key leadership competencies. Experiential learning where clinicians can observe seniors, try out techniques and hone their skills is a valuable way to learn. In addition, access to, and promotion of, formal leadership development opportunities – including leadership courses and resources that support this – will be important. Further exploration of these themes is required before definitive recommendations for improved leadership training can be made. References Green M, et al. BMJ 2012. Lattef F. J Emerg Trauma Shock 2018. Goldman EF, et al. J Grad Med Educ 2011. Holmgren D, et al. BMC Med Educ 2022. Monrouxe LV, et al. BMJ Open 2017.