International Journal of Medical Education. 2011; 2:133-139 ISSN: 2042-6372 DOI: 10.5116/ijme.4ec0.08df 133 © 2011 Mark F.P. Bax et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use of work provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 How do medical specialists perceive their competency as physician -managers? Mark F.P. Bax 1 , Lizanne Berkenbosch 2 , Jamiu O. Busari 3 1 Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands 2 School of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands 3 Department of Educational Development and Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands Accepted: November 12, 2011 Abstract Objectives: We investigated specialists' self-perceived competency as managers as well as their perceived need for management education and preferences regarding topics, duration and format of training. Methods: We conducted a quantitative study of 127 medical specialists (response rate 42.6%) from four Dutch hospitals. A 36-item questionnaire was designed and sent by email, using the Survey Monkey web application. Quantitative content analysis was employed to analyse data. Results: Specialists from 20 different specialties participated in the survey. The mean age was 47 years (SD=8.5) and the majority (76%) were male. Fifty-one per cent had prior management training and 72% had experience in a management position. Despite general good self-ratings, over 50% rated the balance of their personal and working life as neutral or lower. The specialists felt most competent in finding resources to keep their knowledge up to date. Previous management experience (p=0.001), surgical specialty (p=0.01) and >10 years of work experience (p=0.00) were related to higher ratings on overall manage- ment competency. Sixty-eight per cent (84/124) indicated a need for management training. The preferred training method was a workshop (79.3%; 96/121) by extramural experts (89.3%; 108/121) as part of the postgraduate curriculum (94.2%; 141/121). The preferred topics were knowledge of the healthcare system and time management. Conclusions: Medical specialists felt competent about their management knowledge and skills, but indicated a need for management training. The indicated preferences for the training during residency and workshop format can be helpful in designing a management training curriculum. Keywords: Medical specialists, self-assessment, manage- ment competency, training, needs assessment Introduction In the last couple of years, extensive changes have been made to postgraduate specialty training programmes in response to the changing expectations of patients and the increasing demands regarding physician accountability. One of the pioneers of these innovations was the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada who devel- oped a competency-based framework for postgraduate specialty training. This framework comprised of the seven “roles” of physicians: Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Manager, Health Advocate, Scholar and Professional. 1 In 1999 the Accreditation Council for Gradu- ate Medical Education established requirements for gradu- ate medical education programmes in the United States based on six similar competency areas: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal skills, professionalism and systems-based practice. 2 Following these initiatives, specialist training bodies in other countries, have also introduced similar Correspondence: Jamiu O. Busari, Department of Educational Development and Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Maastricht, POB 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Email: Jamiu.busari@maastrichtuniversity.nl