The perceived impact of family medicine leadership training on practice: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Family physicians (FPs) play a crucial role in clinical governance within South Africa’s District Health System, necessitating strong leadership skills.
Aim: To understand how the postgraduate Leadership and Governance module at the University of Cape Town (UCT) helped prepare qualified FPs working in the Western Cape province public sector for their leadership role.
Setting: The UCT offers a 4-month Leadership and Governance module as part of its 4-year Master of Medicine in Family Medicine programme, aiming to prepare registrars for leadership roles.
Methods: An exploratory qualitative study design was used. A total of 10 UCT alumni working in senior public sector roles were purposively sampled for online semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using the framework method. Data were coded deductively into themes, with new themes created for cohesive uncategorised data.
Results: Findings revealed that FPs shared similar early experiences as clinical leaders and faced a transitional phase after completing their registrarship. While key leadership qualities aligned with existing literature, participants emphasised the importance of context-specific training and the value of community practice resources.
Conclusion: The module itself was not considered particularly helpful in preparing FPs for real-world leadership and governance challenges.
Contribution: The study highlights gaps between theoretical training and practical leadership demands, indicating that the module must better address the realities faced by newly qualified FPs. This research contributes to understanding the limitations of current leadership training and underscores the need for more practical, contextually relevant education for FPs in leadership roles.