Workforce Shortages and Physician Crisis

Gerard Clancy, MD
Professor of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine and Senior Associate Dean, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Before the pandemic, America was experiencing dramatic increases in suicide. Among physicians, burnout, clinical depression, and suicide rates were higher than the general population. The pandemic caused significant trauma across society, particularly for frontline health care workers. This session will discuss the depth of this trauma, the long-term outlook on mental health, and steps we can take now to prevent chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and a mass exodus of the health workforce.

• Acknowledge that most clinicians have experienced some level of trauma.
• Develop a culture of well-being and peer-to-peer support.
• Plan for different models of psychiatric care to handle the depth of new mental illness.
• Recognize the depth of stressors of the pandemic on clinicians.

Lunch

12 Pearls of Leadership

Steven Berkowitz, MD
SMB Health Consulting, Scottsdale, Arizona

The role and influence of physician executives have improved dramatically in the last decade. Specifically, the chief medical officer or physician executive role has expanded in scope and influence. New opportunities now exist for physicians to have a more significant impact on the future of health care. How can we better select, groom, and mentor these physician leaders? Dr. Berkowitz will discuss his experiences mentoring these executives over the last 25 years and review “pearls” for present and future physician leaders.

• Discuss best practices for measuring the performance of physician leaders.
• Discuss organizational strategies to select better, groom, and mentor physician leaders.
• Discuss opportunities to speed up the learning curve of new executives.
• Discuss the changing roles and responsibilities of the physician executive.
• Give examples of how the physician executive can enhance the senior leadership team.

Adjourn