Developing Leadership Among Dental Residents: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Leadership Development
• Dental Residency Training

Background:

• Effective leadership is essential in modern healthcare, necessitating specific competencies for medical professionals.
• The CanMEDS framework outlines required competencies for Saudi residency programs, including dental specialties.
• Understanding leadership development in dental residency is vital for preparing future practitioners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore leadership development within the Saudi Board Dental Residency Program.
• To investigate the integration of leadership training into the dental residency curriculum.
• To identify factors influencing leadership competency acquisition among senior dental residents.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative phenomenological approach utilizing purposeful sampling.
• Data collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 senior dental residents.
• Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews using NVivo software.

Main Results:

• Residents exhibited limited awareness of the leader's role.
• Leadership development was inconsistent and lacked structure within the training program.
• Specialty, training center, and coaching influenced leadership development, with summative assessments but no formative feedback protocols.

Conclusions:

• Leadership development varied significantly among residents, influenced by educational experiences and learning environments.
• Residency programs should ensure standardized leadership education across all specialties and training centers in Saudi Arabia.
• Integrating leadership coaching into daily workflows and implementing faculty development for feedback are recommended.