What do you have to do to become a medical director?

Medical management is a large and growing profession. The need for physicians in management roles grows unabated in hospitals, managed care organizations, group practices, and myriad other environments. But entry is not merely a matter of wishful thinking. Painstakingly assembled credentials and skills are the order of the day. The advice in this column is distilled from Medical Directors: What, Why, How, a new College monograph.