Extracurricular leadership development programme to prepare future Saudi physicians as leaders

Objective: To describe and evaluate an innovative approach for developing leadership skills in a cohort of medical students through an extracurricular programme. Methods: The study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April to June of the academic year 2014-15, and comprised medical students from all batches. Mixed-method design was used to evaluate the leadership development programme. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to assess students' learning and their satisfaction was evaluated at the end of the programme. Focus groups were conducted to assess the programme's impact on participants' behaviour. Data analysis was done using SPSS 16. Results: Of the 55 participants, 45(82%) responded to the evaluation survey. Of them, 29(65%) reported intended changes in their leadership practices immediately after the programme, with 8(28%) of them reporting more than one change. The mean students' satisfaction with the overall performance of the speakers and programme organisation was high at 4.12 +/- 0.91 and 4.54 +/- 0.89, respectively. Conclusion: Early experience of the leadership development programme produced positive results. An intense programme analysis is required to fully understand this significant organisational need.