It is generally believed that a good clinical leadership structure is essential for optimal service delivery in any healthcare organization. The leadership of a health organization are tasked with the responsibility of aligning and communicating with various groups of people, both within and outside the healthcare organization who are important in the advancement of the organization’s goals and objectives. (Barr & Dowding, 2012)
In order for a person to be an effective leader in a healthcare organization, it is an added advantage that the leader has a medical background. This would ensure that they are able to understand the dynamics of the daily operations of the organization. (Ham et al., 2011). Healthcare institutions with leaders who have a sound background in the healthcare industry have robust management practices compared with healthcare institutions being led by leaders with no healthcare backgrounds. These value-added practices are associated with high understanding of their work environment and the clinical challenges being experienced by the workers. This leads to better communication between the leadership and the staff thus making it easier for the staff to be motivated since they can associate themselves with the leadership (Heskett, 2007).
They can also communicate with the clinical staff in a way that the staff is able to comprehend and enjoy trustworthiness among the workers that leaders with no medical background rarely attain. However by taking over leadership roles, leaders with medical knowledge will be left with little time to put their expertise to proper use since leadership positions will take most of their time (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2012). Leaders with no medical background, however, are able to commit all their working hours to the running of the healthcare organizations without distractions and though they have no deep understanding of the medical field like those with a medical background they can also be a great asset to the organization since they will run the healthcare organization with business-like approaches by aiming for maximum financial returns through cost cutting measures but also making sure that the clients are satisfied, and the goals of the organization are met. (VanVactor, 2012)
Leaders with the medical background should consider taking management related courses in order to be more suited to managerial roles and leadership positions. This would ensure that they have the required knowledge in making significant leadership and management decisions that might affect the organization. O the other hand leaders with no medical background should work closely with the other management and non-management teams in order to understand the environment they are working in and earn the needed credibility among the staff in order to lead effectively.
References
Barr, J., & Dowding, L. (2012). Leadership in health care. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Ham, C., Baker, G. R., Docherty, J., Hockey, P., Lobley, K., Tugendhat, L., & Walshe, K. (2011). The Future of Leadership and Management in the NHS: No more heroes. Report by The King’s Fund.
Heskett, J. (2007). What is the government's role in U.S. Healthcare? Harvard Business School: Working Knowledge (Online). Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5645.html
Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2012). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier/Saunders.
VanVactor, J. D. (2012). Collaborative leadership model in the management of health care. Journal of Business Research, 65(4), 555-561.
