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Please note: the event detail time refers to the application deadline, not the full dates of the course - which are laid out below.
In 2025, from January to December, EUHA organises a second edition of the course ‘Physician leadership in a global context’. This course aims to enhance the leadership capacity of heads of departments or equivalent in hospitals.
The course offers the participants the opportunity to exchange experiences with peers from other European hospitals, to expand their international network and to learn from internationally rewarded experts in the field of leadership. A ‘state of the art’ leadership development method is used, containing class learning, feedback, peer review and individual coaching. The participants of the first edition of this course, that took place from October 2023 to May 2024, were highly satisfied about both the international exchange opportunities, the content and the used approach.
The course will be coordinated by Marc Verschueren and Johan Van Eldere. They are assisted by experienced coaches from the participating hospitals.
The learning objectives of the course are:
• Becoming a better leader of the team with special focus on team building – motivation of co-workers – conflict management and change management;
• Learning how to get the best out of every co-worker;
• Learning how to manage cultural, generational, and gender diversity;
• Knowing how to increase personal resilience (time-management – work-life-balance);
• Gaining insights in managing up and managing expectations – learning how to negotiate.
After participation at the course, the participants get a certificate (CME credits being applied for).
Selection
We are aiming for medics that are reaching the point in their career in which they become a crucial element in developing the strategy of their hospital (heads of departments or equivalent) in the sense that they are leading groups of doctors, and/or nurses and paramedics and become responsible for the success of these groups.
We have not defined a formal candidate selection form, but the following criteria would seem important to us:
- New to the role; about to be appointed or been in the new role for a maximum of five years;
- To have responsibility for a team (of doctors, researchers, paramedics) to be responsible for defining a plan for the future of that team and to be responsible for the implementation of that plan;
- To be willing to develop leadership skills, to believe in the importance of good leadership and to be willing to devote time and effort to this; this means that the participant engages in full participation at the following activities:
- two live workshops in Leuven (each time from lunch to lunch – each time one overnight stay);
- four webinars of two hours each;
- two digital peer group sessions of two hours each;
- six one-to-one sessions with the local coach of 1.5 hours;
- participation in 360° degree feedback (30 minutes), pre and post course Leadership survey (each time 30 minutes), post course evaluation (30 minutes).
The participants need the support from their management regarding time availability and a recommendation letter from their management that must be sent to the course coordinators.
In their own hospital, the participants will be supported by a local coach, both in the preparation phase as well as during the course. The local coach is an internal coach from the organisation or an internal HR employee with focus on leadership development. They help the participants defining their learning needs and goals and applying the obtained insights in the concrete situation of the participant. Therefore, they will organise six on-to-one meetings with each participant.
Course information
Structure and components of the course:
- Before the course, the participant will be contacted by the local coach for an intake interview where the coach explores the participant’s learning needs. The coach can answer the participant’s questions and concerns with regard to the course.
- To measure the effects of the course, we will present a questionnaire, that must be filled in before and after the course (“pre- & post intervention survey”). We use a strong validated questionnaire, which can give the participant (and also us) an impression of the effectiveness of the learning process.
- The course starts with a live in-person meeting in Leuven with all participants and all local coaches. We start on Thursday noon and end at Friday noon (one overnight stay). The main objective is getting started and getting to know the other participants. The first topics, ‘Leading the team’, ‘Contemporary leadership approaches’, ‘Handling diversity’ and ‘Motivation’ will be elaborated.
- During the start workshop, the participants are invited to set up a 360° feedback. This tool helps them gaining insight (through comparing own perspectives on leadership skills with those of co-workers, peers and even manager). The local coaches will help the participants with this assignment.
- In the next months, four webinars (of two hours each) are offered in which theoretical and practical information on four topics will be given: ‘Talent management’, ‘Conflict management’, ‘Resilience’ and ‘Change management’. The webinars will be given by top experts on the different topics. Each webinar contains a presentation by an expert, followed by peer discussion. Before and after the webinar, reading material will be sent.
- Aside from this, we organize two digital peer-group sessions in which case histories are discussed to help the participants work through and discuss the topic that was offered in the webinars.
- In between webinars and peer-group sessions, the participants will meet with their local coaches in one-to-one sessions for individual progress talks and to make sure that they can translate the obtained insights in their personal situation.
- At the end of the course, again, a live in-person meeting with all participants will be organised in Leuven. The aim is a master class on managing up (political awareness/negotiation) and an integration of lessons learned. At the end of the meeting, the participants get a certificate.
Schedule
Starting days: live meeting in Leuven : Thursday 30 January 2025 (12PM) to Friday 31 January 2025 (3PM)
Topics: Leading a team, contemporary leadership approaches, handling diversity and motivation
Webinar 1: Week commencing 10 March 2025 (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS):
Topic: Talent management
Peer-group session: Tuesday 22 April 2025 (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS)
Webinar 2: Wednesday 21 May 2025 (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS)
Topic: Conflict management
Webinar 3: Tuesday 17 June 2025 (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS)
Topic: Resilience / stress management
Peer-group session: Thursday 11 September (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS)
Webinar 4: Wednesday 12 November 2025 (from 4PM to 6PM) (TEAMS)
Topic: Change Management
Closing days: Live meeting in Leuven - Thursday 4 December 2025 (12PM) to Friday 5 December 2025 (3PM)
Topics: Political awareness & negotiation and Integration of Learning Insights
One-to-one meetings with local coaches : to be planned by local coaches and participants
Costs
There is a registration fee of €500 per participant. This fee covers the venues and meals, the webinars speakers fees, the 360° feedback report, the pre- and post course survey report and the costs for the organisational and administrative support.
Sponsors/Managers of applicants will be required to support the funding for costs of return trips to Leuven, Belgium on 30 January 2025 and 4 December 2025 plus overnight stays for both of these trips (details in timetable above). King’s Health Partners has kindly agreed to support these costs for the coaches who will be supporting the participants.
We have been advised that the consultant development fund is also an appropriate source of funding for this course.
Next steps
1. Potential participants submit expressions of interest form;
2. The management and coaches within King’s Health Partners will select a maximum of six participants and send a recommendation letter to johan.vaneldere@euhalliance.eu;
3. Thereafter, the EUHA administrative assistant of the course will coordinate the registration;
4. The participants will be invited by the local coach for an intake meeting, in which learning needs will be defined and goals will be set – this has to take place before the starting workshop;
5. Potential participants must review the dates within the programme and ensure that they are available to participate in all events and sessions.
