A/Prof. Alison Dwyer1,2, Prof Erwin Loh2,3, Prof Helena Teede4,5, Dr Belinda Garth4, Dr Kathryn Joseph4
1Eastern Health, Australia, 2Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, Australia, 3St Vincents Health Australia, Australia, 4Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Australia, 5Monash Health, Australia
Background: Women comprise around 75% of the Australian healthcare workforce yet are under-represented in healthcare leadership. RACMA is a lead partner in a national NHMRC funded project aiming to “Advance Women in Healthcare Leadership”.
Study aims: Identify evidence-based strategies to advance women in medical leadership, and use this to guide RACMA’s policy work and incorporate into RACMA’s leadership programs.
Methods: Mixed-methods utilising evidence synthesis, administrative data analysis and interviews with RACMA’s leadership and membership.
Results: Evidence synthesis has shown what organisational interventions are effective and how to implement these focused around: leadership commitment and accountability, organisational processes and policies, awareness and engagement, organisational support tools, mentoring and networks, and leadership development. Interviewees included women (84%), men (16%), members of diverse cultural backgrounds, and healthcare leaders across membership levels: fellows (74%), associate fellows (21%), affiliates (5%). These provided insight into strategies relevant to and effective for advancing women in leadership at RACMA and in the health services settings that RACMA members work – including that organisational and cultural change requires proactively addressing implicit bias and improving leadership, awareness and commitment around gender inequity in medical leadership.
Key conclusions: Attracting women to, and advancing them in, medical leadership requires broad partnership across stakeholders and organisational/systems change including key roles for RACMA. Leveraging evidence-based approaches to organisational interventions and implementation efforts is important, tailored to the unique setting and opportunities that RACMA has. RACMA is now establishing priorities, moving to implementation and evaluation. https://www.womeninhealthleadership.org/contact
Biography:
Alison Dwyer is the Chief Medical Officer at Eastern Health, a major tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne. Alison is also a Board Director of Peninsula Health, and Chair of the Quality and Safety Committee. Alison is the current Chair of the Medical Administrative Workforce Planning Group for the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, and has a strong involvement in the training of medical administration registrars as a current Supervisor, Preceptor and Examination Censor.
Alison has a strong passion for medical staff well-being, engaging medical staff in quality and the role of the Medical Administrator in health services.