Certificate in Physician Leadership Program

Program Description

This is an 18-month-long certification program offered jointly by the American College of Physicians and the American Association for Physician Leadership. It includes a combination of formal training through 50 hours of online coursework and group discussions, as well as a capstone project that demonstrates successful mastery of leadership concepts in either hospital medicine or primary care internal medicine. Participants complete the program as part of a cohort, with a July 1 start date.


Curriculum

The program is divided into a three-tier structure, with each tier having a minimum credit amount required for completion. 

Tier 1: Core Courses - 27 credits

Participants are required to complete each of the following courses:

  1. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Communication Full Details
  2. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Influence Full Details
  3. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Quality Full Details
  4. Transitions of Care Full Details

For each core course, there will be required weeklong, 1-credit online group discussions relating the coursework to specific issues in either hospital medicine or primary care internal medicine. The discussions, which will take place during scheduled weeks in a designated online groups by program track, will be led by experienced physician leaders. For the Transitions of Care course, both tracks will participate in the same online discussion to share ideas and experiences from both the inpatient and outpatient care perspectives.

Tier 2: Elective Courses - 23 credits required

The following are examples of elective courses offered as part of the program:

  1. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Negotiation Full Details
  2. Managing Physician Performance Full Details
  3. Resolving Conflict Full Details
  4. Develop Effective Teams Full Details
  5. Create Systems for Quality Full Details
  6. Mastering Physician Engagement Full Details
  7. Establish a Just Culture Full Details
  8. The Numbers a CEO Needs to Know Full Details
  9. Assessing the Health of Your Organization Full Details
  10. Building Physician Wellness Full Details
  11. Interdisciplinary Relationship Management Full Details
  12. Leading Complex Organizations Full Details
  13. Leading Problem Solving Full Details
  14. Managing Task Forces, Committees, and Work Groups Full Details
  15. Practical Tools for Physician Self-Care Full Details
  16. Proceed Until Apprehended Full Details
  17. The Neuropsychology of Strategic Thinking Full Details
  18. Building and Leading Effective Teams Full Details
  19. Science of High Reliability Full Details
  20. Practical Principles of Change Management Full Details
  21. Embracing Change Full Details
  22. From Autonomy to Teamwork Full Details
  23. Project Management Overview for Physician Leaders Full Details
  24. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Finance Full Details
  25. Foundations of Financial Accounting Full Details

Tier 3: Capstone Project

The capstone is a longer-term project that will demonstrate and apply leadership principles in one of the three core areas of the program — communication, influence, or quality — as it relates to hospital medicine or primary care internal medicine.

Each participant will select an advisor who will review the capstone project proposal and provide relevant input throughout the duration of the project. Each capstone project proposal is reviewed and approved by a designated ACP Leadership Academy reviewer. Once the capstone project is complete, it will be reviewed and evaluated by the Capstone Review Board — a select group of experts who will assess the overall quality of the project on the following criteria:

  • Originality
  • Methodological Quality
  • Impact
  • Technical Quality of Written Work
  • Overall Quality of Final Recorded Presentation

The Capstone Review Board also will assess how leadership skills were applied as part of this project. Projects of exceptional quality as determined by the Capstone Review Board will be selected for presentation at ACP's annual Internal Medicine meeting.

More Details

Active participants may keep track of their progression through the program using their personal Progress Dashboard (Only works for active participants.) All course information will be verified.


Tuition and Fees

The following tuition and fees are associated with the program, which is only available to ACP members.

Activity Tuition & Fees
Registration $50
Communication Core Course $430
Influence Core Course $430
Quality Core Course $430
Transitions of Care Core Course $138
Online Discussions $0 (These discussions are offered at no cost.)
Electives $1,437 (Approximately. Varies based on course selection.)
Capstone Project $500
Total Program Cost $3,415

Enrollment Information

The Leadership Academy’s Formal Leadership Training and Certificate in Physician Leadership programs will no longer accept new applications and enrollees.

To continue to live up to our mission to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine, ACP is evolving our programs, products, and services. Our aim is to provide ongoing support for the career and professional development of internal medicine physicians from training through retirement. We are in the process of completing a comprehensive member needs assessment to guide our programming. In the meantime, check out the Leadership Academy Webinar Series, ACP Advance QI Curriculum and QI Leadership Training, and ACP Webinar Series to support your leadership training and professional development needs. We look forward to connecting with you soon.


Suggested Timeline

Participants will be grouped into a cohort with either a July or January start date. The following is a sample timeline for successful completion of the program within 18 months.

Months 1-6: Complete Core Courses and Online Discussions 
Month 7: Select Capstone Project Advisor, Submit Capstone Fee, Begin Elective Courses
Month 8: Submit Capstone Proposal
Month 9-16: Complete Elective Courses, Work on Capstone Project
Month 17: Submit Capstone Project to Capstone Review Board
Month 18: Capstone Presentation, Certificate Awarded

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Communication

Everyone sees the world differently, and that’s why communicating with other people isn’t a one-size-fits-all affair. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Communication isn’t just about how to speak or what to say – instead, it shows physician leaders how to adjust their communication style and delivery to make better connections with the people around them.

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $430.00

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Influence

Influencing others is a major component of leadership. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Influence shows physicians leaders how to first influence themselves – by developing core values and clarifying their vision – so they can effectively inspire and lead the people around them.

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $430.00

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Quality

Quality and consistency are inexorably linked. Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Quality course offers physicians the tools and tactics they need to create consistent systems, processes and quality outcomes – along with some insight into the history of quality in medicine.

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $430.00

Transitions of Care

Developed by ACP especially for the Certificate in Physician Leadership program, this course aims to improve the process of caring for patients as they transition across different venues of care by: expanding knowledge of the different types of care settings through which patients may move; identifying potential points at which patients are particularly vulnerable during transitions; recognizing systemic issues and obstacles affecting patients moving from one type of care setting to another, and optimizing the effectiveness and safety of transitions between healthcare venues. Participants will be provided a downloadable Transitions of Care Strategic Planning Workbook that can be used to create individualized plans.

CME Credits: 2

Tuition: $138.00

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Negotiation

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $430.00

Managing Physician Performance

CME Credits: 14

Tuition: $1012.00

Resolving Conflict

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $502.00

Develop Effective Teams

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $361.00

Create Systems for Quality

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $195.00

Mastering Physician Engagement

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $325.00

Establish a Just Culture

CME Credits: 4

Tuition: $260.00

The Numbers a CEO Needs to Know

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $325.00

Assessing the Health of Your Organization

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $195.00

Building Physician Wellness

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $195.00

Interdisciplinary Relationship Management

CME Credits: 4

Tuition: $260.00

Leading Complex Organizations

CME Credits: 4

Tuition: $260.00

Leading Problem Solving

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $195.00

Managing Task Forces, Committees, and Work Groups

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $195.00

Practical Tools for Physician Self-Care

CME Credits: 4

Tuition: $260.00

Proceed Until Apprehended

CME Credits: 4

Tuition: $260.00

The Neuropsychology of Strategic Thinking

CME Credits: 2

Tuition: $145

Building and Leading Effective Teams

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $361

Science of High Reliability

CME Credits: 10

Tuition: $723

Practical Principles of Change Management

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $361

Embracing Change

CME Credits: 3.5

Tuition: $253

From Autonomy to Teamwork

CME Credits: 3

Tuition: $217

Project Management Overview for Physician Leaders

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $289

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Finance

CME Credits: 7

Tuition: $430

Foundations of Financial Accounting

CME Credits: 5

Tuition: $343