Training Residents as Leaders
Aug 25
1 min read
Excited to share about our work with training resident leaders in our Department for over 15 years at Duke University Medical Center. It has been a true blessing being able to incorporate this into how we train our residents not only to be great surgeons but also how to be virtue based leaders that inspire others! Read more about it in this link : https://headnecksurgery.duke.edu/blog/developing-residents-leaders
Reading this post reminded me of my second year of residency when our program director instituted a month‑long “leadership sprint.” We were split into small teams and tasked with designing a quality‑improvement project from scratch, presenting to senior staff, and then actually implementing the changes on the floor. At first I felt overwhelmed—balancing patient care, studying for boards, and now learning to lead a team seemed impossible. But the experience forced me to step out of my comfort zone, practice clear communication, and trust my peers’ ideas. The project we chose—streamlining discharge instructions for heart failure patients—actually reduced readmission rates by 12% in six months. Seeing that tangible impact cemented my belief that leadership training isn’t just a buzzword; it’s…