The impact of virtual negotiation training for female faculty

PURPOSE: We developed a virtual interactive course for female faculty/practicing physicians and trainees to hone their skills in negotiation and sought to evaluate the impact of this on their knowledge, comfort, and skill in negotiation. METHODS: We surveyed participants as to their comfort and experience with negotiation before and after the course, as well as three months later. RESULTS: Of the 102 participants in the faculty course, 55 (53.9%) were academic ladder faculty, and 47 (46.1%) were in surgery or a surgical subspecialty. Participants were significantly more comfortable with negotiation initiation, strategy, and post-settlement settlement after the course (p < 0.001 for each). 91.1% found the course valuable, 92.9% felt their knowledge about negotiation increased, and 85.7% wished they would have taken this course earlier. 98.2% stated they were likely to use some of the things they learned in this course in future. Three months later, 40.7% of respondents stated they had used what they had learned: 57.7, 41.7, and 32.0% had negotiated for pay, promotion, or job-related perks, respectively. These negotiations went “better than expected” in 26.6, 30, and 37.5%, respectively. Prior to the course, only 3 (2.9%) felt that their last negotiation went “very well” or better; three months after the course, 28% felt their last negotiation after the course went “very well” or “extremely well” (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Negotiation training can have a significant impact on female physicians’ comfort in initiating negotiation, negotiation strategy and post-settlement discussions. Such training significantly increases “better than expected” negotiations.