Ask the expert: What are some of the occupational hazards department chairs may face?

Department chairs should anticipate some degree of stress, practice disruption, and strain on professional relations and personal friendships. This position requires approximately three to six hours per week for department and committee meetings and related work. Sometimes, a department chair must participate in controversial or difficult issues that may result in a decreased number of referrals.

Due to the possibility of legal entanglements, the institution provides protection to the individual holding this position in the form of indemnification, officers and directors insurance, and a pledge to support the actions of the department chair provided these actions relate directly to the functions described in this position description or other documents. These actions include advising the MEC or the board on specific competence-related issues.

This week's question and answer are excerpted from How to Recruit and Develop Physician Leaders: A Strategy for Medical Staff Leadership Development, by Richard A. Sheff, MD; Todd Sagin, MD, JD; and Albert L. Fritz, MHA.