Understanding emergency medicine physician leadership within the Saskatchewan Health Authority

Abstract

This thesis explores the qualities that support Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians’ leadership work and how the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) may better support, learn from, and leverage their knowledge and skills. EM physicians in Saskatchewan who also held physician leadership roles within the SHA or the College of Medicine were randomly selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted by the principal investigator. The themes explored included EM physicians’ clinical experiences and how these affected their physician leadership roles. EM physician leaders were asked about their leadership journeys, their experiences of leadership support or mentorship, any overlap they might identify between ER physicians’ clinical skills and leadership roles, and shift work and remuneration. Based on the study findings and conclusions, the research recommends that the SHA (a) should recruit EM physicians for leadership positions to bring EM insights and decision-making abilities into a variety of healthcare administrative roles, (b) leverage the knowledge EM physicians have gained from broad clinical exposure to the health care system, (c) consider a fair remuneration package for EM physicians when they enter a physician leadership role, and (d) establish mentorship for new EM physician leaders.