043 – Dr. Eric Dickson – The Value of Physician Leadership in Healthcare
Dr. Eric Dickson MD
Dr. Eric Dickson is an Emergency Medicine Physician and a physician executive. Currently, he serves as the CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care. In addition to his executive role, he serves as a professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
In this episode, Dr. Dickson discusses the importance of physician leadership in medicine, what it is like to be a physician executive, and the value of being in a team, together.
To learn more from Dr. Dickson, check out his blog posts where he discusses topics, such as COVID-19, the political climate of the United States, and the intersections of medicine and social well being.
The path to becoming hospital CEO.
Growing up, Dr. Dickson was unsure of a career path and ultimately joined the army. As his life progressed, he found his passion and desire to pursue medicine and became an Emergency Medicine physician.
During his initial start to medicine, he was drawn to pulmonary physiology and ultimately pursued more experience in research. Through his love of experiments and research, he discovered his passion for management.
How to be a successful physician leader or physician executive?
Dr. Dickson explains that there are 2 main traits of a successful physician leader.
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You need to know how to deliver results
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Treat people with respect
He further explains that these two things are what contribute to a successful career for someone wanting to be a physician executive. In addition, Dr. Eric Dickson explains that as a leader in medicine, it is important to know when to delegate roles to others and the importance of not asking others to do what you would not do yourself.
“1) Know how to deliver results. 2) Treat people with respect.”
During the peak of COVID-19 in 2020, Dr. Dickson worked directly with residents, attendings and other healthcare personal on the front lines. Dr. Wehbi and Dr. Dickson, discussed why this was an important example that was being set for the community.
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Written by: Rumeesa Rais