How to Lead a Change in Medical School in 10 Steps is a workshop that I gave a few weeks ago and is a step-by-step process to leading the change from where you are. As a medical student, you quickly realize many of the problems in the world. Especially in healthcare. If you’re anything like me, your mind starts swirling with all of the possible solutions to these problems.
But then you realize that you’re a student, potentially with limited financial resources, who feels like they have virtually no authority. However, just because you have these limitations, doesn’t mean you can’t institute change. Instituting change doesn’t mean solving world hunger. It simply means doing one intervention that can create a better situation for at least one person. That sounds reasonable, right?
By looking at leadership from this perspective, it becomes less intimidating. It sounds more plausible. Anyone can do it. All you need is a plan and the determination to make it happen. This is a step-wise guide to how to lead a change in medical school. There is also a basic free journal you can download as you walk through this process, or a deluxe version for only $10 that is a bit more interactive.
Step 1 – Identify a problem
The first part of how to lead a change in medical school is to identify a problem. This could be a personal problem or something that affects the community or school environment. This step is also the basis to research projects. Researchers identify a problem, and then look to see if anyone has attempted to solve this problem before.
For example, I identified two major problems at my school:
- Students were experiencing high levels of burnout.
- Students demonstrated a need for cultural competency and bias training
In the workshop that I led, students listed other problems they had identified. Some were personal changes they wanted to make. Others were changes in their community that they wanted to see. Some examples of those are:
- Improving public speaking skills
- Increasing LatinX programming at a predominantly hispanic university
- Creating an online tool for increasing awareness of mental health
- Deciding what to do after graduation
- Getting better lunches in public school cafeterias
- Increasing sexual education in public schools
Think about problems you’ve identified, either within yourself or your community. Take a moment to jot them down and decide which one(s) are the most important to you.
Step 2 – Identify solutions for this problem
After you have identified your problem, the next step in how to lead the change in medical school is to identify potential solutions for this problem. I like to do this in a two-step fashion. The first step, if you didn’t have any limitations, and had all of the resources in the world, what would you do? By freeing myself of any restrictions or perceived barriers, I can become more creative and start thinking outside of the box.
For my problems above, I created this list of things that I could do if I had no limitations:
| Problem #1 | Problem #2 |
| Make every single student take an implicit bias course Create an implicit bias course from scratch Nothing Fight for a book about bias and racism to be included in curriculum Protest Unfriend those with low cultural competency Invite high level speakers to emphasize the importance of these topics Directly call out students for their lack of cultural competence Host journal clubs Transfer/quit | Create a wellness app Bring in workout professionals Create a wellness group Create a wellness workbook Fight for more time off Nothing Create a student support group Highlight student resources Work with student resource groups for better programming Fill out school surveys and give feedback on student wellbeing |
As you are considering your solutions, think about all the ways you could solve your problem. Even if they are things that you would never do, jotting them down helps you see if there are pieces of that solution you could use.
Really try to get creative when you are coming up with solutions for this problems. Below is a page from the Deluxe Leadership Project Management Journal that shows you the space to work through this step.
Step 3 – Identify skills and resources you have
After you have created a list of all your solutions, the next step is identifying what skills and resources you do have. Creating a list of skills, qualities, and resources can help you see all of the attributes that you have that can help you lead a change in medical school.
The full name of my workshop is called Leading the Change from Where You Are because you don’t have to be a rich, powerful person to make a change. You can lead a change with everything you have right now. Money, time, skills, abilities, network, etc. When you identify all of these things, and get creative with how to use them, you can really surprise yourself with the things you can accomplish.
Your list of skills and qualities don’t even have to match directly with the problem or your list of solutions. Create a list of all of your skills and qualities. This is not the time to be humble, but a time to really appreciate all that you have and can do.
For example, I created this list for my skills and qualities:
I listed every quality and skill I could think of because this is going to come in handy during the next step. Take some time to identify every single skill or attribute that you have. Jot them down so you can use them for Step 4!
Step 4 – Identify viable solutions
Now that you have completed your list of skills, we are going to cross reference Step 3 with Step 2. Use the list of skills and qualities you have come up with, and see which solutions are possible with your current list. Cross out the ones that are just unrealistic, and star the ones that you could do with your current skill set.
Below is my list adjusted to things that are realistic and plausible:
| Problem #1 | Problem #2 |
| Make every single student take an implicit bias course Create an implicit bias course from scratch Fight for a book about bias and racism to be included in curriculum Unfriend those with low cultural competency Invite high level speakers to emphasize the importance of these topics Directly call out students for their lack of cultural competence Host journal clubs | Bring in workout professionals Create a wellness group Create a wellness workbook Nothing Create a student support group Highlight student resources Work with student resource groups for better programming Fill out school surveys and give feedback on student wellbeing |
I have crossed out the ones that are just not possible. I don’t have the capital or means to bring in high level speakers. Protesting and fighting is just not in my wheelhouse. It’s not my prefered method of action. Being a hostile person will damage relationships that I may need to institute the change I would like to see. And doing nothing or quitting are just not things that I am capable of doing.
After you have narrowed your list down to the possible solutions, it’s time to choose exactly what you want to do and what the end goal will be. End goals give you a target to try and hit, and are very important for the success of your solution.
My solutions and end goals are:
- Create an implicit bias training course that aims to increase student’s efficacy in addressing bias, increase empathy towards bias and discrimination, and increase self-awareness.
- Create a wellness workbook tool that accompanies wellness activities and highlights current wellness resources. The end goal of this project is to reduce student burnout and increase utilization of resources.
Step 5a- Do your research
After you have identified your solution(s) and your end goal, the next important part of any intervention to lead a change in medical school is to do your research. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel if someone else has already done something similar. If this is academic research, you definitely want it to be novel so it’s worth publishing and/or presenting. And if you have never done anything like this before, you’ll want to know where to start.
The internet is a great place to begin your research. You can use more academic resources like Google Scholar, Pubmed, Ebscohost, etc., or you can just perform a simple internet search and see what blogs or other resources are out there.
If someone at your school or in your community has done something similar, start with them and talk about how they did what they did and what you should do. Reach out to people in your network. You have no idea who they know or what they can do for you. Sometimes we want to keep things a secret, and for good reason, but other times it’s better to create a community of people who can help us.
Step 5b – Create a timeline and checklist
After you do your research and find out how you want to go about your solution, it’s time to plan. Everyone is not a Type A, super organizer, however, you will want a baseline level of organization or chances are, your change is not going to happen. Basic organization let’s you know what you need, how you’re going to do it, and when you’re going to do it by.
Without deadlines and clear to do lists, you are going to have trouble staying on track with completing your project. Organization also becomes vital when you involve other people. In order to avoid wasting people’s time and keeping everyone in check, you’re going to want an outline of what is expected and what needs to be done. This improves communication and reduces unnecessary problems and setbacks.
You can use a variety of tools to help you with organization. Project management tools like Gantt charts are great project management tools. You also can just create a checklist and write deadlines next to them to keep you on track. I have giant poster boards in my house with items and deadlines for all my major projects.
To-do lists are also great when you have a long timeline with end goals that are months, or even years, away. They keep you motivated when you start to feel defeated or as if you’ll never accomplish what you want. The satisfaction of checking off something on your list is positive reinforcement to keep going.
Step 6 – Identify Potential Problems and Limitations
Prior to starting your project, it’s useful to identify potential problems and setbacks before they even occur. The hardest part when trying to lead a change in medical school is when there is a problem or limitation that will hinder your progression. If you don’t foresee problems, then they may have a better chance of knocking you down, than if you try to plan for them as best as you can.
If you have no idea what potential problems could arise, ask other people or read about the process others went through who are doing something similar to what you want to do. Wanting to host an event? Ask those who have already done it what problems they encountered and plan to potentially encounter the same ones. Wanting to create a personal change? Think about other times you’ve wanted to create change and what was a problem.
Limitation
Think about your skills and qualities list. What was missing that is vital to the success of your project? Finances, time, people? Identify these limitations early so that way you can begin brainstorming how to overcome them.
Being proactive instead of reactive can save a lot of time and avoid a lot of pitfalls. Really think outside the box of potential problems, so that way if anything does arise, you are not caught off guard. Below are the potential problems I identified for my projects:
- Lack of funding
- Student status
- Students’ lack of interest in the project
- Faculty/Admin lack of interest in the project
- Time – me and students
- Board exams
- Load/Schedule
- Personal relationships with participants
- Lack of statistical/research experience
- Sensitive topics
Step 7 – Create an action plan for potential problems
After you identify potential problems and limitations when trying to lead a change in medical school, it’s time to create an action plan for each one. These action plans or solutions are not set in stone. They are potential plans that may work if those situations arise. All of these situations are potentially hypothetical…until they aren’t.
By creating a solution list, or action plan, you may be able to circumvent these issues by already devising a plan for them. It’s like airline pilots. They have a safety plan for every conceivable problem that could happen in the air. Of course you hope these problems don’t arise, but in the rare case that they do, pilots know exactly what the plan is to avoid things becoming very bad.
And that’s what you should do for your project. In the case that these issues arise, you have a plan that is flexible. Even if your solution doesn’t solve the problem, you at least have a place to start and can make adjustments as you go along.
Below are my action plans to my problems:
| Problem | Action Plan/Solutions |
| Lack of funding | Apply for grants, look for intramural money |
| Student status | Maximize relationship with students and develop positive relationships with A/F/S. |
| Students’ lack of interest in the project Faculty/Admin lack of interest in the project | Demonstrate need of project through research or examples from the school environment |
| Time – me and students | Organization and schedule for “low-load” times |
| Board exams | Designate and compartmentalize study time |
| Load/Schedule | Use my calendar, take time to rest |
| Lack of statistical/research experience | Find professionals who can do this |
| Personal relationships with participants | Don’t discuss research with students outside of encouragement to participate |
| Sensitive Topics | Accept what I can control, which is the fact that I’m creating and it’s out of my control if people participate or not. |
Step 8 – Begin
This is honestly the hardest step, is to actually begin. There are so many thoughts and fears when you take this step. Is it going to work? Are people going to like it? Will I get any support or attendance? Will I be successful?
Sometimes, the fear that the answers to these questions are going to be negative can stop us dead in our tracks. However, we cannot let the fear that things aren’t going to work stop us from trying.
As I create interventions, I know that not everyone will agree or like what I’m doing. Some people will probably be very resistant to it. However, there are so many others who are inspired by it. So inspired, in fact, that they start their own intervention and expand or create a better version of my intervention. That is the great part about leadership.
It’s not you trying to change the world by yourself. But it’s you instilling the confidence and inspiring others to help you change the world in their own way. You will get a lot more done with 100 people each doing their own thing to make a change, than you trying 100 different ways to change the world.
However, these fears and thoughts can still become disruptive to our hope and motivation to just take the leap. So take some time and write out what your fears and thoughts are. Then, next to them, write positive affirmations. Keep reciting these positive affirmations every time a fearful thought creeps up and threatens to stop you from making the change you want.
Step 9 – Record setbacks
After you begin your project, you are going to experience setbacks. You have already created a list of plausible setbacks, but once your project starts, it’s important to record the setbacks that happen. By recording the problems you encounter, you do two things:
- Created a running log of problems that you overcame which can be really motivational.
- Created a troubleshooting guide for anyone who wants to do something similar or for you to reference in the future.
Setbacks are going to happen, and your response to them will decide the fate of your project. There is a quote from Stacey Abraham’s book Lead from the Outside that says:
“Do we concede, do we compromise, or do we fight? These are the options.”
Stacey Abrams, Lead from the Outside
As you encounter setbacks, you have to decide which one you are going to do, and all three are appropriate in different scenarios. Sometimes you have to concede because the setback was just too big to overcome and you have to find another way to get to the end goal. Other times, you may have to fight for what you want because the setback is surmountable with the right approach, and unwillingness to takes less than what’s possible. And there are other situations where you have to compromise and make it work with other people.
It’s your job to decide what’s the best for each individual scenario. Whatever you decide, don’t give up. 2+2=4 and so does 3+1. It’s not about how you get to the finish line, but just that you get there. So be flexible and open-minded as you find a way to get where you want to go.
Step 10 – Give thanks and celebrate your wins
It is so easy to get caught up in our setbacks, that we forget to celebrate our wins. However, no matter how good or bad things went, there are things that are worth celebrating. It’s important to identify them, no matter how big or small.
Wins aren’t just about the end goal – how much money you raised, how many attendees you had, how many papers you published, etc. – but about what you did along the way.
For my projects, I had decent turnouts at my trainings and I have created wellness workbooks that didn’t exist in the world prior to me creating them. I created two entire interventions to help better the community that didn’t exist before I created them. These are things to celebrate and things to help motivate me as I continue finding other ways to positively impact my community.
In addition to celebrating your wins, it’s also important to give thanks. We can’t do anything in this world alone, and we should thank those that help us. It’s tempting to focus on who didn’t support, who didn’t show, who didn’t do what we needed or wanted them to.
However, we should instead focus on those who did support, who did show up, and who did do what we wanted or needed.
Time is like a gift, and if people give that to you, you should thank them. Keep a running list of everyone who was a part of your success and remember to thank them at the end.
Bonus step – Reflect
A bonus step when you are completely done is to reflect on what you’ve done, and decide what is next. Are you done with the project? Have you done all that you can/want to do. Or is there a next step? What went right, and what could have gone better? What change did you effect and whose lives did you impact?
These are all questions that you should think about at the end of your project. You can even write them down and complete your project management journal with an evaluation of how you were able to lead the change in medical school. This management journal, or wherever you kept record of what you did, may be the source for a paper, speech, resume, or letter required for the future.
Reflection is always a great way to end something because you can learn from yourself, and also have key points to tell others who want to follow in your footsteps.
If you liked the layout of How to Lead a Change in Medical School, then the Deluxe Project Management Journal may be a great template for you to use as you take on your own problem to solve. If you enjoy using the journal, please let me know in the comments or leave a rating!
1 thought on “How to Lead a Change in Medical School – 10 Simple Steps”