We Are the People We Have Been Waiting For

Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to describe the structure and processes for setting up a peer mentorship network.

2. Participants will be able to identify opportunities in their own professional growth where building or joining a peer mentorship network could be beneficial.

Key Message

Taking on administrative and educational leadership roles as early career faculty is daunting. Having structured, peer mentorship programs for leaders in similar roles across institutions can create connection and provide tools for leaders to thrive as they navigate new, evolving leadership roles.

Abstract

As the Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) field evolves, early career faculty members are tapped or perhaps seek out administrative and educational leadership roles (1). Traditionally, in medicine, formal leadership positions are held by clinicians in their mid or later careers. Therefore, there are few established, proactive opportunities for leadership knowledge and skill acquisition within undergraduate and graduate medical education curricula to prepare HPM, early career clinicians, to transition into these essential leadership roles. Additionally, transitioning into these roles so early in one's career can be isolating and exacerbate feelings of inadequacy. We will present lessons learned by early career leaders who banded together to create two types of programs to alleviate the learning tension that comes with both transitioning into and thriving within these challenging, administrative and education leadership spaces. The Pediatric Palliative Care Developing Programs Group (administrative leadership) and the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program Directors Collaborative (education leadership) will share experiences of creating these groups and how these organizations helped members thrive and sustain in new leadership roles. The Developing Programs Group commenced from a desire to connect program directors, who were tasked with creating new or relaunching old programs for solidarity, validation, peer mentorship, and coaching. Beginning in 2019 and including nearly 50 leaders, the group comes together monthly to discuss predetermined topics, celebrate successes, and commiserate challenging, shared experiences. Additionally, they tapped mid to later-career stakeholders to present didactics on common leadership topics and created a listserv for dialogue. The Program Directors Collaborative began in 2022 and meets every other month to support educational leaders on topics including feedback, curriculum design, and holistic review and selection. The discussion will include lessons learned along the way, creating a road map for leadership development, and other opportunities created through these groups.

References

1. Elissa G. Miller et al. Lessons Learned: Identifying Items Felt To Be Critical to Leading a Pediatric Palliative Care Program in the Current Era of Program Development