“Great opportunity to develop and foster leadership skills by realizing your strengths and weaknesses to benefit your practice and patients.  I didn’t realize that by not addressing my daily angst I was in turn condoning their existence. This has lead to a healthier more efficient work environment!  Camaraderie of like-minded physicians helped me realize common  issues with unique answers aided by Pam and my cohorts.”

Edward Discoe, MD


“I was not sure what to expect when I signed up for the NMA Physician Leadership Academy, but in looking back I am amazed at the personal insight and self-awareness I gained by being open to participate in it. As physicians, we are looked upon to be leaders of our patients, our staff, our colleagues, our communities. This has to start with leadership of self, and that is what this course is about. Our instructor Pam was fantastic, and utilized surveys, books, and individual coaching sessions to bring us along our individual journeys. A common theme of our cohort in our final session was that not only did we have professional growth, but our personal relationships were positively impacted as well. Overall, this experience was well worth my investment of personal time.”

Lynette Kramer, MD
Family Medicine/CMO
Boone County Health Center


“This has been a wonderful journey of self-reflection. It has given me a scheduled time to look at myself in my current practice and truly assess how I can become a better leader, physician, and partner (at work and at home). Without this schedule, I would have been much less likely to give myself this time. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to meet new physicians at a variety of stages in their professional careers and to learn from their trials, tribulations, and successes. It is important to remember that you will only get out of this class what you are willing to put into it!”

Kendra Lesiak, MD
Dermatology Specialists of Omaha


“The Nebraska Medical Association’s Physician Leadership Academy has been a formative experience for me coming out of training. Time-after-time older, more experienced physicians would tell me how applicable the skills we learned were to their everyday practice. Essential skills such as active listening, clear communication, and taking feedback were only a few of the topics we touched on. I highly recommend this program to any early in-practice physician looking to elevate their ability to lead others.”

Tyler Teichmeier, MD, MLS (ASCP)
Pathology Medical Services, PC

“Healthcare is becoming increasingly complex, with changes happening at an exponential rate. In order for healthcare organizations to survive and for healthcare providers to thrive, we need strong physician leaders at all levels of our organizations. Yes – we also need exceptionally skilled and dedicated business, finance, IT and other leaders, but ultimately it is the patient-centered clinical perspective physician leaders provide that will guide organizations of all sizes and structures through the ever-evolving environment. Strong physicians leaders are best positioned to direct decisions to make their organizations ideal places to both deliver and receive healthcare.

Unfortunately, the skills that make us good clinicians often make us poor leaders – quickly narrowing a conversation down to a limited differential diagnosis and then single-handedly prescribing a solution. I don’t remember spending any time in medical school or residency learning medical leadership basics, such as communication and meeting facilitation skills, teamwork and team leadership skills, understanding financial reports, stress management and burnout prevention skills.

Since residency, I have attended many leadership classes and programs and read many articles and books that aimed to teach me and other physicians how to lead – how to look like a leader, talk like a leader, and run a meeting like a leader. But the Physician Leadership Academy sponsored by the Nebraska Medical Association is one of the very few opportunities I have had to help me become a leader. Through this adventure I learned so much about myself – my strengths, my tendencies, my worries, my fears, my misperceptions, and how I am seen by those I work with. Armed with that understanding and through the blessing of working with Pam and my fellow course participants over many months, I have been able to become more of the person those in my stewardship deserve as their leader. Like all true adventures, it has not been easy, but it has definitely been worth it.

Now more than ever, we need more and more physicians who not only act like leaders, but who truly are leaders. Our organizations need it. Our healthcare teams, our patients, and our communities deserve nothing less.”

Michael Schooff, MD, FAAFP
Primary Care Medical Director