Designing a Leadership Curriculum for Otolaryngology Residents: A Mixed Methods Needs Assessment

OBJECTIVES

Perform a needs assessment for a novel leadership curriculum for otolaryngology residents.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, mixed-methods analysis.

SETTING

Academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS

To conduct the study, 37 OHNS faculty were surveyed, 23 (62%) of which submitted responses and 25 OHNS residents were surveyed, 19 (76%) of which responded. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to gather perspectives from residents and faculty. Quantitative survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests. Two reviewers analyzed the qualitative interviews via thematic analysis.

RESULTS

From 42 survey responses, 96% of faculty and 100% of residents expressed support for a leadership curriculum. Topics considered most important for the curriculum included managing difficult conversations, building and influencing teams and making constructive use of conflict. Significant differences between faculty and residents in topic ratings included wellness (p = 0.001), professionalism (p = <0.001), and time management (p = 0.001) with faculty reporting ratings higher in importance than resident ratings. Nine faculty and 8 residents participated in qualitative interviews. Key themes identified included the learned aspect of leadership, an emphasis on 360 feedback, self-reflection on core values and leadership styles, and developing frameworks to engage in difficult conversations. Barriers to effective curriculum implementation included limited time, resident buy in, and the challenge of creating a 1-size-fits-all curriculum.

CONCLUSION

Both residents and faculty were interested in resident leadership development. Curriculum design with primary alignment with resident needs, based in high-yield, relevant topics will be essential to success. Such findings will be used to inform a pilot leadership curriculum at the local institution.