From Curing to Caring: Bridging the Leadership and Soft-Skills Gap in Moroccan Medical Education

Abstract

Background Medical leadership and soft skills are critical for effective healthcare; those competencies are crucial for day-to-day medical practice, particularly in low to middle-income countries like Morocco, where leading teams and managing patients present greater challenges due to human and material resource constraints. Yet Moroccan medical training remains disproportionately focused on technical competencies. This study assessed the professional experience of 32 interns in a low- to middle-income developing nation to investigate the alignment between their learning priorities and professional realities. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving the full cohort of interns at Tangier University Hospital. We assessed learning priorities, daily work time allocation, conflict management history, and communication quality using an anonymous questionnaire. Results While interns ranked conflict management as their lowest learning priority, they spent 23% of their daily time dealing with conflicts and 47.3% on administrative tasks. Furthermore, communication with colleagues was rated poorly (4/10), and 36% of interns expressed dissatisfaction with existing conflict resolution processes. Conclusion Our findings highlight a fundamental gap and a paradox between the skills interns value and the competencies actually required in their high-stress work environments. Soft skills and leadership abilities are essential not only for enhancing the work environment and clinical performance but also for reducing legal disputes and minimizing friction with patients and families. Ultimately, these skills support the act of “caring,” not just “curing.”