Doctors As Managers of Respiratory Care Services: The Need For Leadership

Abstract

The duration of a position as physician director of respiratory services proved to be less than five years in 68 per cent of cases followed. Based upon available information in the 50 such cases, the act of separation was not elective in these instances, except as a final response to an otherwise intolerable situation. Further study revealed the prime cause to be ignorance of the basic essentials of management. Technical incompetence was never an issue in cases of separation. The general application of principles of management to the control of respiratory services is illustrated by a series of case reports and subsequent discussion. Presently, candidates aspiring to such positions appear to rely almost entirely upon their elaborate technical skills. Choice of such a career option, however, should carry with it an obligation to 'learn the rules of the game.' Logically, graduate training programs should provide this training.