Introducing residents to a career in management: the Physician Management Pathway

To prepare their students and residents for the practice of medicine in a rapidly changing environment, medical educators must teach the business of medicine as well as the science and art of medicine. Recognizing the value of and demand for physician leaders, the authors sought to introduce residents to diverse aspects of medical administration within the context of an academically rigorous internal medicine residency program. The Physician Management Pathway (PMP) was developed in 1997 to expose interested residents to the management concepts employed by physician managers; to help physician trainees begin to develop the leadership and technical skills they will use as physician managers; to provide career mentoring; to provide experiences that enrich the resident's training in clinical medicine; to enhance resident-directed educational activities; and to produce physicians who can successfully work in any health care environment. The PMP curriculum consists of a monthly seminar series, a preceptorship experience in the second year of residency, and a supervised project in the third year. The program was not designed to provide competency in management, but rather is intended to provide an opportunity for new physicians to explore options in this exciting and changing profession.