His sentiments are echoed by another physician leader that McKenna and Pugno (2006, p. 252) frequently site:
“I think these days it is not a bad idea for physicians to pursue an MBA along with their MD. A program for this is being developed in the Kansas City area, and I think that is great.
When we commit to medicine as a profession, we are also committing to some or all of the following roles: mentor, team leader. partner, employer, small business owner, accountant, and community leader, to name a few. Perhaps training for some or all of these roles should be included in the medical school curricula. But until that happens, those of us already in practice need to share our knowledge and experience with our younger colleagues. Perhaps doctors in training today will be better equipped to be leaders as well as physicians.” [Daniel S. Durrie, MD. Ophthalmologist, Durrie Vision Center]
McKenna and Pugno (2006, pp. 252-253) offer their own perspective on this matter of multi-disciplinarity:
“Successful physician leaders maintain competence in their ever-advancing clinical specialties even while developing competence in the art of leadership and the science of management. Doing so often involves mastery, or at least minimal comprehension, or management knowledge with regard to topics such as
- Accounting: budgets, income statements, balance sheets, cash flow projections
- Finance: capital investments, lease vs. buy decisions, profitability and liquidity
- Economics: supply and demand, allocation of resources
- Law: legislation and regulation, contract law, liability
- Ethics: professional, organizational, social rights and responsibilities
- Marketing: attract and retain customers, strategies to grow and compete
- Information Technology: automation, decision support, data storage/transmission
- Operations: scheduling, facilities, procurement, resource utilization, quality control
- Human Resource Mgmt: hiring, training, compensation, performance management
- Leadership: setting direction, building commitment to achieve shared objectives
- Organizational Behavior: innovation, change, teamwork, job design, policies, values”
I find this embracing of multiple options and multiple disciplines uniquely evident in the wishful pronouncements of a leader quoted by McKenna and Pugno (2006, p. 148). She serves as both a physician and church deacon:
“I want the way we provide care to return to the pre-enlightenment time when body, mind and spirit were recognized as being inseparable. Ancient practices across two thirds of the world saw the spiritual component as much a part of healing or wholeness as the medical science component. They acknowledged the emotional, spiritual, and relational ramifications of a person’s physical disabilities.” [Reverend Pamela S. Harris, MD}
