A.L. Burch1
1A.T. Still University, Dean, Mesa, United States
Background: As a relatively new academic dean in a graduate school of health professions during COVID-19, I will take the audience through 4 real life conflict resolution cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US amidst higher education’s wider response to this crisis. The unique perspective of this presentation will highlight the position of deans in higher education within the health professions and will use turbulence theory (Shapiro and Gross) to explain the tension between autonomy and collaboration during a time of crisis, emphasizing the strengthening of purpose, mission and team unity.
Purpose: The overall purpose of this work is to provide a blueprint of conversation and workable hypothetical scenarios across universities to allow a sharing of effective methods of lowering turbulence during periods of crisis while furthering or deepening a school’s mission.
Methods: Hypothetical case scenarios using revised lived experiences of formal and informal communication, strategic planning revision, collaboration across university departments and CARES Act planning and funding will be shared in order to analyze how leadership styles, modified communication strategies and distributive leadership effect the flexibility of a health professional institution to respond during a national crisis. The unique position of schools that prepare health care providers with the urgency of contributing to the national demand for work force during such a crisis will be an important component of this work. The inclusion of staying informed and responding to CDC, state and local governance authorities as integral to educational leadership during times of external crisis will be included.
Results: The result section of the presentation will focus on graduation completion rates, 90% clinical rotation placements and matriculating the new cohort of students in a safe and effective manner on campus while identifying challenges throughout the process.
Conclusion(s): The presentation will offer a live case example of a lived experience by an academic dean in the health professions during the onset of COVID-19 in the US February-May 2020.
Implications: The implications of the presentation is to offer continued dialogue on lessens learned and retrospective sense making during periods of crisis in higher education.
Funding, acknowledgements: N/A
Keywords: Conflict Resolution, Leadership and COVID-19, Turbulence Theory
Topic: Education
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: N/A
Committee: N/A
Reason: Addresses new and unique developments in education and management during a crisis.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
