Core competencies for academic leaders in Iran University of Medical Sciences

Integrated educational, health, and medical services necessitate the development of high-competent academic leaders in medical universities of Iran. Most organizations attempt to limit the total number of competencies to a rational number and consider the most important competencies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine core competencies which can be improved through development programs for the academic leaders in Iran University of Medical Sciences. Methods This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was the critical review based on Carnwell and Daly’s approach. The search time was from 2000 to 2017. The searches were conducted in PubMed, Emerald, ERIC, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus, SID, and nor gram. The second phase was modified Delphi in three rounds. The purposive sampling was used to employ appropriate participants. Result According to the critical review results, competencies were categorized in two groups, including 62 personal competencies and 19 functional competencies. Also, according to modified Delphi results, 19 competencies, including 12 personal competencies and 7 functional competencies were selected as trainable core competencies. Conclusion In order to design a development program for academic leaders in the integrated educational system in Iran University of Medical Sciences, both personal and functional competencies need to be considered together.