Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Jan 2022)

Polarity Based Model for Guiding Medical School Strategy During Crisis – A Cross Sectional Qualitative Study

  • Ahmed SA,
  • Kumar AP,
  • Wasfy NF,
  • Hegazy NN,
  • Abouzeid E,
  • Hassanien MA,
  • Shehata MH,
  • Kayser III WC,
  • Mostafa RM,
  • Khan YH,
  • Hamdy H

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 11 – 25

Abstract

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Samar A Ahmed,1 Archana P Kumar,2,3 Nourhan F Wasfy,4 Nagwa N Hegazy,5 Enjy Abouzeid,4 Mohammed A Hassanien,6,7 Mohamed H Shehata,8,9 W Cliff Kayser III,10 Randa M Mostafa,11 Yawar H Khan,12 Hossam Hamdy13 1Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Medical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 3Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, SRIHER, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 4Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt; 5Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt; 6Educational Affairs, College of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 7College of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt; 8Family and community medicine department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain; 9Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt; 10Six SEED Partners, Washington, DC, USA; 11Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt; 12Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; 13Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Samar A AhmedForensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, EgyptEmail [email protected]: Crises in academia can best be dealt with as a polarity that needs to be leveraged rather than a problem that needs to be solved. This work aimed at utilizing the Polarity Approach for Continuity and Transformation (PACT)™ to establish a guide for medical schools during times of crisis to minimize the effect of crisis-driven decisions on strategic growth.Subjects and Methods: A qualitative study following the 5-Steps of the PACT process was conducted. A virtual mapping session was held with 108 medical educators from 22 countries to determine the upsides and downsides of strategic orientation and crisis management subsequently.Results: Four polarity maps were generated identifying four tension areas; University reputation, mission, teams, and individuals followed by a 72-item assessment and another mapping session to map the warning signs and action steps. A comparison between private school scores and the whole cohort of respondents showed that private schools had the least problems in team-oriented work.Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of taking measures to communicate the mission and supporting team functions inside universities either by enhancing resources or utilizing time and effort-saving strategies.Keywords: polarity, strategy, planning, crisis, medical, education

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