The EM Leaders Programme

EM Leaders Q&A

What is EM Leaders?

The EM Leaders Programme offers those working in EM to develop core leadership skills related to the unique and challenging environment of the ED. It aims to empower any clinician or member of staff in ED to make clinical leadership decisions and more knowledgeable to apply this on the shopfloor.

The EM Leaders programme consists of 9 interactive modules, available on the e learning for health platform, with relevant theory interspersed with ED related scenarios and a reflective worksheet. EM Leaders faculty or Communities of Practice Champions exist within each region to support localised delivery either through further training or shopfloor incentives to expand on this learning and integrate into everyday practice.

Who is it aimed at?

It is relevant to all clinicians and staff in ED. EM Leaders identifies and develops the skills, attributes and behaviours at the core of clinical leadership, to become better leaders whatever grade or clinical role in emergency medicine.

Why is it relevant?

Leadership threads throughout the Medical and ACP curriculum, recognising its importance in delivering patient care in the challenging environment and negotiating the wider NHS. The purpose of the programme is to improve the quality of leadership skills being deployed in the EM operational environment.

A variety of leadership skills are explored including shop floor team working and communication, conflict management, managing change and Quality Improvement, developing a positive culture, to leading a department as a senior clinician, to list a few. Leadership is founded on the principle of knowing your personal impact on the team and your values with the core module Leading Self being the foundation. Hyperlink to tweet adverts

Is it Mandatory?

It is not mandatory but highly recommended as evidence to map against the relevant Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLO) and Generic Professional Capabilities (GPC) within the RCEM curriculums. It is an excellent opportunity to reflect and explore clinical leadership developments with fellow clinicians.

The EMLeaders Framework was developed by the EMLeaders National Faculty from their collective knowledge and experience of Emergency Medicine and Leadership. The framework is based on those elements that prepare an EM practitioner to manage any shift in the Emergency Department and negotiate the many aspects of the wider NHS. The information within this document provides a framework of EM leadership knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and competencies referenced against the different stages of training that make up core and higher EM training programmes. The framework is structured into five areas of clinical leadership:

1. EMLeader skills
2. Working in teams
3. Managing the Emergency Service
4. Growth and collaboration
5. Developing excellence within your team.

The descriptors reflect proficiency at a specific stage of EM training, with additional complexity challenging the trainee as they progress from core to completion of higher training and into the early years as a Consultant.

EMLeader Framework and Curriculum 2021

The clinical curriculum has threads of leadership throughout the generic professional capabilities (GPC) and specialty learning outcomes (SLOs) as highlighted in the introduction of the framework document. When training to be Emergency Medicine Consultants, trainees must develop their leadership potential so that they are able to lead effectively when providing care for patients as experts in clinical diagnosis and reasoning, as well as managing, guiding and supporting multi-disciplinary teams operating in a modern-day Emergency Department.

The EMLeaders programme contains a number of leadership educational resources that can provide evidence of learning, progress and attainment along with other work-based place assessments, formal courses or reflective practises.

The available EMLeaders resources and how they link to the different aspects of the curriculum are outlined within the Framework introduction.

EMLeaders Framework

In July 2021 an independent evaluation of the EMLeaders programme was commissioned, with the work undertaken by a team of researchers from Coventry University.

The aim of the evaluation was to assess the extent to which the EMLeaders initiative has helped participants to develop and embrace the leadership skills required for personal and

team resilience and examine the impact of the programme on staff retention and staff career choices.

Investigation was undertaken into four areas of focus:

1. The impact, value, and range of the EMLeaders training programme
2. Implementation of the EMLeaders Programme in the 12 schools across England
3. Impact of variations in implementation models on the primary aims of the programme
4. Commonalities and recommendations to build a model framework for delivery.

You can read the Evaluation of the Emergency Medicine Leadership Programme (EMLP) reports here:
Evaluation of EMLP short report (April 2023)
Evaluation of EMLP full report (January 2023)

EMLeaders eLearning modules are based on the EMLeaders framework and the original EMLeaders study days developed prior to the pandemic.

What is covered?

The modules provide Learners with:

• the core principles of leadership within an Emergency Department context and include videos, interactive activities as well as EM examples
• background reading which will allow Learners to explore the topics further
• a reflective practise worksheet related to the content in the modules, that can be used in future regional discussion groups to expand on the learning.

The reflective practise worksheet is a separate document, which can either be completed while the Learner works through the module content or afterwards, depending on preferred learning style. Learners are encouraged to take their time to work through the reflections to ensure they gain maximum benefit. In addition, completed worksheets can be uploaded to ePortfolios as evidence of learning.

There are three core eLearning modules:

1. Leading Teams – All clinical staff need to work effectively within teams. This session explores how to lead teams effectively in Emergency Medicine.
2. Leading Self – This session explores the key themes around self and how that knowledge can be used to be to create positive influences for the Learner and those around them.
3. Leading Systems – This session explores systems within emergency care and the NHS in relation to leadership challenges that emergency physicians face and analyses them as clinicians within a complex environment. It also explores the differences between leadership and management as those roles work together to influence within these complex systems

The learning from the core modules is then expanded upon in the following six modules:

1. Leading Culture – This session is focussed on the relationship between leadership and culture, and builds on many of the themes covered within the Leading Self module.
2. Leading Service – This session will focus on leading the Emergency Service, the application to the wider NHS and will have relevance to all practitioners within Emergency Medicine, whether you are in training or are a new or established Consultant.
3. Leading People – This session covers what an organisation is, managing and leading people in an organisation, having difficult conversations and conflict resolution.
4. Leading Change – This session focuses on leading change within the Emergency Department Team. It is vital to understand the personal, environmental and team factors which affect how we lead and deliver successful change.
5. Leading Quality – This session has been developed to help learners understand what quality is within healthcare, to define ‘Quality’ for you, your team and your service, to recognise how poor-quality behaviours occur and how to encourage good quality care thorough leadership.
6. Leading Strategy – This session looks at the key areas that learners may apply strategy and the subsequent important skills needed for an adaptive strategic leader. There are several activities within the module that could support Learners at a later date when completing a quality improvement project or another piece of development work.

The modules were developed by the EMLeaders National Faculty members (including Trainee Reps), with editorial support from the School Faculty members, technical support and design from e-Learning for Healthcare and strategic oversight from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) and Health Education England (HEE).

Accessing the eModules

The EMLeaders eModules are accessible via the e-Learning for Health https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/ and is for free for the NHS and military workforce, those with an .ac.uk address in higher education. Learning is recorded on the e-Learning for Healthcare Hub and can be linked to the RCEM ePortfolio.

Leading Culture

• Ever thought what your staff changing areas say about your organisational culture? Visit the Leading Culture module to assess the Onion Model of relationships between behaviours, values and basic assumptions.
• Find out what elements constitute to the organisational ‘culture’
• Ever felt powerless? Understand our sources of power and how to analyse and regain power by visiting the leading culture module. We all have the power and influence to shape the culture of an organisation or department, see the Leading Culture module to explore your power and influence.
• What drives you? What motivates you? Take the 6 minute test in the EM Leaders, Leading Culture module to learn what your main drivers are and understand the positive and negative attributes of these drivers and how to get the best out of your preferred style.
• Working in a toxic culture and wanting to explore ways you can change it? Visit the Leading Culture module to see how we can all influence a constructive culture.
• Wanting to create a positive culture but don’t know where to start? Visit the Leading Vulture module to appreciate the visible and invisible culture cues that influence the process.
• Are you a perfectionist? Have you experienced the perils of perfectionism, visit the Leading Culture module to see this explained, and recognise the positive and negative attributes.
• What patient stories and departmental stories are told about where you work? Do they reflect the core values and fit within your organisational culture? Visit the EM Leaders Leading Culture module to understand the 12 behavioural styles that make up cultural types. Do your organizational behaviours associate with a constructive culture? A passive defensive culture? Or an aggressive defensive culture?