International work and leadership in UK general practice
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an exploration of the leadership competencies developed by UK GPs through having undertaken international work and the ability to transfer these competencies back to the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken is a cross-sectional survey.
Findings
A total of 439 UK-based, ranging from GP specialty trainees to retired GPs who had worked overseas, responded to an online survey of UK general practice and international work. Doctors were asked to report competency development through international work using the domains of the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF). The most common competencies developed, to a “moderate or significant” degree, related to “personal qualities” (89 per cent) and “working in teams” (87 per cent). To a lesser extent Doctors developed competencies in “setting direction” (60 per cent), “managing services” (59 per cent), and “service improvement” (56 per cent), and found these competencies harder to transfer back to the UK. A common reason for limited transfer of competency was the lack of leadership opportunities for Doctors when returning to UK locum roles. Overseas posts were more common in low/middle income countries, and these Doctors reported a greater range of leadership roles, including in health policy, management and teaching, compared to high-income countries. Most doctors felt that they were able to develop their clinical skills overseas whilst relatively few Doctors performed research, especially in high-income countries.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge this is the first cross-sectional survey exploring the international work of UK GPs and leadership development using the MLCF domains.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are members of the RCGP Junior International Committee (JIC) and JIC google group. The authors are grateful to the RCGP for funding the cost of Survey Monkey software. Ethical approval not required.
Citation
Young, P., Smith, C., Pettigrew, L., Seo, H.-N. and Blane, D. (2014), "International work and leadership in UK general practice", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 87-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-01-2013-0003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited