490 - Neonatal-Perinatal Leadership Education and Development (NeoLEAD): Feasibility and Self-Efficacy of a Novel Leadership Curriculum for Neonatal-Perinatal Fellows

Poster Number: 490
Publication Number: 490.124

Megan Paulsen, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Katherine Satrom, University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Catherine M. Bendel, University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, MInneapolis, MN, United States; Scheurer M. Johannah, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States

Background: Effective leadership skills are critical for all aspects of the academic mission including quality patient care, innovative research, engaging education, and community outreach. However, there is a paucity of formal leadership training offered during medical education. Local fellowship training programs may be able to address this unmet need.

Objective: Determine feasibility and trainee self-efficacy after one year of a 3-year neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) fellow leadership curriculum.

Design/Methods: Available career development opportunities at the local, regional, and national level were examined for possible gaps specific to leadership training. A curriculum, “NeoLEAD”, was developed to bridge identified gaps. Participants completed surveys to assess feasibility and satisfaction of individual sessions plus self-efficacy via pre- and post-curriculum authentic leadership questionnaires (ALQ). Descriptive statistics measured objectives and paired t-test determined statistical differences between groups.

Results: A 3-year curriculum comprising three one-year epochs (themes: authenticity, resilience, culture) was developed. This analysis describes year 1 results, comprised of 4 2-hour in-person seminars during established protected fellow education (topics and objectives in Table 1). NPM fellow participants represented a single-academic center (5 females, 1 male, all training years; 100% survey response rate for N=5-6 trainees/session). At baseline all (N=5) participants agreed leadership training is an important aspect of NPM fellowship education yet had not previously had formal leadership instruction. Further, most (80%) rarely sought out independent opportunities for leadership training, yet 60% envisioned themselves in a future institutional leadership role. All participants agreed each session met objectives and that they would apply learnings as a NPM leader. ALQ scores after NeoLEAD (mean=61, 95% CI 58-62) were 7% higher following completion of year 1 compared to scores prior to the program (mean=57, 95% CI 53-61, Figure 1A, p=0.005). Self-efficacy (ALQ score) was increased in 31% (95% CI 19-50%), decreased in 8% (95% CI 0-13%), and unchanged in 61% of participants (95% CI 38-81%) following completion of year 1 with a mean difference between individual ALQ scores of 4 (95% CI 2-6, Figure 1B, p< 0.01).

Conclusion(s): NPM trainees had increased self-efficacy in the feasible and well-regarded first year of the NeoLEAD curriculum.