Leadership training for undergraduate medical students

Purpose - Physicians play an important leadership role in the management and governance of the healthcare system. Yet, many physicians lack formal management and leadership training to prepare them for this challenging role. This Viewpoint article argues that leadership concepts need to be introduced to undergraduate medical students early and throughout their medical education. Design/methodology/approach - Leadership is an integral part of medical practice. The recent inclusion of "Leader" competency in the CanMEDS 2015 represents a subtle but important shift from the previous "manager" competency. Providing medical students with the basics of leadership concepts early in their medical education allows them to integrate leadership principles into their professional practice. Findings - The Faculty of Medicine at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) has developed an eight-module, fully online Physician Leadership Certificate for their undergraduate medical education program. This program is cited as an example of an undergraduate medical curriculum that offers leadership training throughout the 4 years of the MD program. Originality/value - There are a number of continuing professional development opportunities for physicians in the area of management and leadership. This Viewpoint article challenges undergraduate medical education programs to develop and integrate leadership training in their curricula.