Are managers from Mars and doctors from Venus?

![CDATA[In the last few decades, the Health Care reform agenda has included changes to the organisation of (managerial) work in health care institutions(Braithwaite & Westbrook, 2005; Duckett, 2008; J. A. Fitzgerald, 2002). One such change is in the role of Hybrid Clinicain Manager, a doctor who has both a clinical role and a managerial role (L. Fitzgerald & Dufour, 1998; L. Fitzgerald & Ferlie, 2000; Iedema, Degeling, Braithwaite, & White, 2003; Kippist & Fitzgerald, 2006, 2008; Lopopolo, Schafer, & Nosse, 2004). However, whilst the hybrid manager is a now well established role, according to several attendees at a professional development forum in 2008, succession planning within this role is largely absent. Therefore this conceptual paper highlights that the hybrid medical clinician role may need to be promoted to be a career path for medical clinicians. Thinking of the hybrid medical-clinician role as a career development opportunity requires medical professional cultural change and organisational commitment. Such a change requires a much closer understanding of the managerial and administrative roles and responsibility by practicing medical clinicians. This paper argues for the need to change organisational and medical professional cultures if continuation of the hybrid clinician-manager role is desired for both organisational development and medical career development. If so, managerial succession training may become a critical feature in medical professional development.]]