Objectives To survey the training needs of the management reserve talents in West China Hospital of Sichuan University, so as to provide evidence for improving the pertinence and effectiveness of the training system. Methods A survey of training needs in terms of training contents and methods was performed on 181 management reserve talents in our hospital by self-designed questionnaire. The survey results were descriptively analyzed based on rate and percentage. Results Among the 181 questionnaires issued, 148 (81.8%) were recovered. For the training contents, 59.5% of them concerned more about enhancement of management ability, with the top three most preferred training contents as personnel management, systematic management thinking, and work management. For the training methods, internal training, external communication, and external teachers were the three most preferred. Conclusions To enable the management reserve talents transit from medical to management positions, the hospital should classify them according to the needs and requirements of the organization, the position and the talent him/herself. Based on such classification, customized training can be carried out with innovative training modules.