Evaluation of inter-professional communication and leadership skills among graduating Canadian urology residents

Authors

  • Gregory William Hosier Queen's University
  • Naji J. Touma Queen's University

Keywords:

Medical education, communication skills, leadership skills, multisource feedback

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of developing inter-professional communication and leadership skills among residents is well-recognized; however, formal tools to assess these skills are lacking. The goal of our study was to assess the leader and communicator roles in graduating urology residents using a validated selfassessment form developed for business students that focuses on inter-professional skills.

Methods: Chief residents (n=36) were evaluated with surveys of communication and leadership skills. The same surveys were administered through email to the residents’ program directors (PDs). Resident self-assessment and PD assessment were compared using paired and non-paired t-tests.

Results: Graduating urology residents’ self-assessment of their communication and leadership skills did not differ from assessments made by their PDs (77.6 vs. 74.4%; p=0.19); however, there were outlier candidates in whom PD assessment differed substantially from self-assessment on both surveys. Graduating urology residents scored themselves higher on self-awareness (82.6 vs. 77%; p=0.05) and lower on stress management (67.7 vs. 77%; p=0.01) compared to their PDs. Resident self-assessment scores were similar to business students on both communication and leadership surveys. Limitations were the small sample size and lack of survey evaluation by those surveyed.

Conclusions: Graduating urology residents’ self-assessment of their own communication and leadership skills did not differ greatly from assessment by their PDs or a sample of business students. Comparison of self-assessment evaluations and evaluations by PDs allowed us to identify outliers in whom self-assessment and PD assessment markedly differed, which may allow for more focused and meaningful feedback.

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Author Biography

Gregory William Hosier, Queen's University

Resident

Published

2018-11-01

How to Cite

Hosier, G. W., & Touma, N. J. (2018). Evaluation of inter-professional communication and leadership skills among graduating Canadian urology residents. Canadian Urological Association Journal, 13(9). Retrieved from https://cuaj.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/5643

Issue

Section

Original Research