Road Map to Success: A Look at Leadership Development in Healthcare

Do you work in healthcare? Whether you're a nurse, physician, or therapist, healthcare is a multifaceted and ever-evolving industry. After working and gaining experience in healthcare, it's natural that you might start looking towards developing your leadership capability. If you're a healthcare professional wanting to progress or make a change in your career, becoming a leader in this industry may be your next step.

A leadership development plan (LDP) helps you recognize current skills and highlight areas for improvement, mapping out how you can develop those skills over time. It works as a personal roadmap to reach your career goals and meet the objectives of your employer.

This article will provide an overview of leadership development plans in the healthcare sector—what they are, why they're important, and steps to create one. So, if you're interested in this topic, continue reading to learn more. 

Why Work Towards Leadership Roles in Healthcare?

First, we'll begin by explaining why someone might want to work towards leadership roles in a healthcare setting. There are a few reasons for this. One is purely financial - leaders in all sectors tend to earn more than entry-level or mid-level roles. Those working in management in healthcare tend to have higher salaries than those working in direct service delivery. 

How Can I Work Up to Leadership Roles? 

Usually, you'll need a few years of experience in a direct healthcare setting as a nurse, psychologist, physician, therapist, or other clinician role. After you've gained this valuable experience, you could apply for a role such as lead, team leader or unit manager. Then, you can work your way up the ranks of whatever organization you work for. 

There are a variety of mid and upper-level management roles available in non-profits, hospitals, community care settings, and other healthcare locations. Some management roles include ward unit managers, administrative managers, directors, and even executive-level management. Some people wanting to progress their healthcare career go back to study for an MBA, which they can apply to healthcare management settings.

Mastering Your Leadership Skills

As you work your way towards healthcare management settings, you'll want to master your leadership skills along the way. Some of these are soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, listening, communication, and teamwork. In some fields, you'll also need technical or medical expertise as well. One method of gaining valuable leadership experience is pursuing postgraduate education through online DNP leadership programs. A leadership program will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and experience that you need to use for leverage when it comes to landing a healthcare management role. 

Find a Mentor

Those looking to climb the hierarchy at their healthcare workplace should consider finding a mentor, either within the hospital or organization, or externally, as a mentor can provide some critical career advice and guidance for you to follow. A mentor is often a senior leader in your chosen field, in this case, healthcare, who can find the time to meet with you, offer you some key insights into their career trajectory, and dish out some gold nuggets of wisdom that you can utilize to upskill in a healthcare role. Mentors usually find this role rewarding and often had mentors themselves when they were younger. Finding a committed and friendly mentor can be an excellent way to upskill and climb the ladder within the healthcare sector.

For instance, if you're a doctor looking to specialize in a certain field, you might seek out a specialist doctor in this field and approach them, seeking mentorship or guidance. This could be a more senior colleague or a physician at another hospital. They might be happy to provide mentorship and career guidance to you. 

Prioritize Ongoing Education 

Even if you've completed a leadership qualification or course, as we've suggested above, you should definitely consider prioritizing ongoing education in your chosen field. This demonstrates that you're committed to ongoing learning and development. You might take short courses, undertake certificates, further training, and professional development in your healthcare setting, which is an excellent way to develop as a healthcare leader. 

Create a Leadership Development Plan

A leadership development plan is a personalized roadmap that helps you to either gain or refine the skills you need for leadership in healthcare. An LDP outlines specific goals for you to achieve, areas for improvement in your career, and what you need to do to develop those essential leadership skills.

An LDP will help you break down the process of becoming a successful leader into achievable, manageable, and actionable steps. It is quite like a blueprint for building a house. Every step is detailed and outlined, from laying the foundation to constructing the rooftop, with each interlocking together to contribute to a sturdy, functional structure for your career. Each part of your LDP is designed to build on the previous one, transforming your leadership potential into a firm reality.

Steps for Undertaking an LDP

Now, we'll outline the steps required for you to complete an LDP for your aspiring leadership career in healthcare. 

Perform a Self-Assessment

The first step in your leadership development plan is to conduct a thorough self-assessment to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Here are some common questions to consider.

How do you communicate? How do you convey your ideas, as well as evaluate your listening skills? Are you able to delegate effectively and trust your team to follow through and deliver on the tasks you've delegated? Can you manage, resolve, and navigate through conflicts? Can you think strategically, see the big picture and work towards it? 

Set Attainable Goals

As you develop your LDP, it's important to set small, attainable goals to track your progress and then divide them into short-term and long-term objectives. Here are some examples for you to consider. 

Short-term Goals

You may want to set a goal to master conflict resolution or mediation skills within a short period of time, such as three or six months. You may also want to improve your public speaking or presentation skills or hone a particular technical or medical skill that you need to succeed as a healthcare leader. 

Long-term Goals

Now, it's time to set some longer-term goals. For instance, you may want to land a senior leadership role within three to five years, develop and hone a team to work on a specific task or commence work as a medical consultant or manager. 

Using the SMART method of goal setting (SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound), you may want to create some realistic goals that are highly important in this planning stage. The SMART method ensures that each goal is well-defined and includes a timeline, making it easier for you to monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed over time.