LOCUS: Preparing Medical Students for Community Health

Leadership

Goals

Understand the medical, educational, cultural, political and socioeconomic environment out of which the need for LOCUS developed.

Reflect on the concept of leadership and understand the importance of leadership in medicine.

GOALS

Review the LOCUS core curriculum, the program’s structure, its active learning components, and its goals and desired outcomes

Understand the evolution of the program, challenges to its survival, and its growth over time.

LOCUS 1999

CONTEXT

Health system challenges Inequities: access, quality

Escalating costs

Ever expanding knowledge

Medical education Reductionistic, biomedical focus

“Coveritis”, burn out, cynicism

Role of physicians in society

Context continued

Social accountability Physician’s as stewards and servantsResponsibility to society

Leadership for changeEducation for leadershipCommunity of shared valuesMentoring, encouragement and feedback

LOCUS GATHERING 2000

LOCUS

Definition: a place

LeadershipOpportunities with Communities, the medically Underserved and Special populations

LOCUS Logistics

•15 to 18 LOCUS fellows per medical school class

•Each LOCUS fellow:

•Is paired with both a faculty and a student mentor •Participates in approximately 20 hours per year•Completes a community health project

•“LOCUS is for life”

Core CurriculumReadingsRetreats

Workshops

Community Health ProjectsTeams

PartnershipsOutcomes

MentorsSenior StudentsFaculty and Staff

Community Health Professionals

LOCUS Structure

LOCUS Core Content

Introduction to leadership

Leadership and one’s self

Leadership and others

Leadership and communities

Introduction to Leadership

Challenges in health care

Importance of leadership

Leadership styles

Qualities of leaders

Mentors and role models

Leadership and One’s Self

Describe personal mission, goals, prioritiesFind strategies to achieve balance between personal and professional livesSolicit feedbackEngage in self-reflection and self-assessment Adjust goals through career

Leadership and Others

Develop team skills: listening, collaborating, delegating, giving and receiving feedback, acknowledge contributions of others

Lead effective meetings: agendas, keeping on time, summaries, follow-up actions

Identify and address conflicts: understand one’s own responses, mediation skills

Leadership and Health Issues in Communities

Identify local and global health challenges

Recognize complex determinants of health

Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of physicians in improving conditions for health

Leadership and Community Health Methods

Community oriented primary care (COPC)

Evidence-based public health

Ecological models

Logic model

Community health needs assessments

Leadership and Health Activist Skills

Community networking and organizingFund raisingNon-violent protests

Writing skills:Letters to the editorPosition statements

Oral communications:Public speaking, radio and television interviewsTestifying in government hearings

Community Health Service Projects

Conduct community health needs assessments:

Rapid appraisal and surveysKey informant interviews

Access health dataSelect project frameworkConduct projectAssess, present and celebrate outcomes

LOCUS 2000

Evolution and Opportunities

Student Issues

Faculty Issues

School Issues

Sustainability

Student Issues

Interest growing, student applications increasing

Student desire to keep personal and limited in size

Greater interest in self-initiated new projectsIssues of individual vs group projects

Issues of individual interests vs community needs

Faculty Issues

School-based facultyCommunity faculty 

TimeValueReward

School Issues

Informal vs formal curriculum

Credit vs No Credit

Recognition for “Honors”

Sustainability

School and Department role

AHEC

Community Partnerships

LOCUS GATHERING 2002