A lower academic level of first line management training for medically qualified healthcare staff can enhance workplace performance

A supervisory management programme addressing both the strategic and operational needs of modern healthcare providers has recently been piloted in a private‐sector hospital. The one‐year programme combining self‐study, trainer‐led workshops and the workplace application of learning took the innovative approach of setting the training at one academic level below the perceived need. Healthcare sector experience had indicated that well‐ qualified technical staff making the transition to management were automatically expected to have effective management skills in line with their technical competences and this does not always hold true in practice, something which is common in many industries. Setting the necessary supporting management training at the lower academic level was intended to focus learning energy into both understanding and application of learning for workplace results, rather than to promote static assimilation of high‐level management concepts. It is proposed that such bespoke supervisory management programmes in association with professional training providers, in this case Henley Training and Development Ltd (HDL), deliver better work‐based performance than that gained by encouraging individuals to take two‐year, college‐based diplomas in Management Study.