Advances in Medical Education and Practice (02/12/23) Lewis, Joy H.; Appikatla, Surekha; Anderson, Eboni; et al.
A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona developed the Primary Care Transformation Executive (PCTE) Fellowship to cultivate community health center leaders. Funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the program integrates weekly guided self-study content provided by a learning management system, monthly live virtual speakers and discussion sessions, and one-on-one mentoring. The 12-month fellowship's curriculum highlights healthcare transformation, interprofessional practice, leadership development and systems thinking. It incorporates identifying and addressing social health determinants and examining and tackling cultural bias. Fellows developed, deployed and analyzed a community-oriented primary care (COPC) transformation project. Eighteen of 20 participating fellows completed the program, and all belonged to the "most needed specialties" (Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Psychiatry), as defined by the National Association of Community Health Centers. Most participants' perceived proficiency improved across all categories upon completion, particularly in Interprofessional Practice Communication and Teamwork, Leadership Theories and Styles, Systems Thinking and Community-Oriented Primary Care. Fellows also saw more engagement in leadership activities and career advancement. "The knowledge and skills the fellows developed over the course of this program will enable them to continue to drive positive changes for the patients and populations served by their community health centers," the authors report.
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