A successful approach to faculty development at an independent academic medical center

Abstract

Background: Faculty development is crucial to the success of medical education programs. Relatively few independent academic medical centers, despite their burgeoning role in medical education, offer active programs in faculty development. Aim: To describe the successful implementation of a voluntary departmental faculty development program at an independent academic medical center. Methods: Initiation of the program revealed significant barriers to faculty participation including clinical responsibilities and lack of supported time for educational pursuits. An extensive needs assessment, including detailed faculty interviews, was completed and a participant-driven faculty development program was designed based on the identified faculty needs. Local practice group leaders were also interviewed and asked to support the initiative. The resultant program centered on three domains, specifically Teaching Activities, Clinical Skills and Research/Leadership Training. Specific offerings included clinical skills and specialty discussion sessions, time-intensive teaching workshops and participant-driven lecture series. Results: A significant percentage (47%) of faculty participated in at least one faculty development offering over the initial two years of the program. A higher percentage of generalist faculty (75%) participated compared with specialty faculty (19%). An even number of specialists and generalists, however, participated in the more time-intensive aspects of the program. Approval rates of each individual component of the program were very high, ranging from 88-100%. Conclusions: By identifying the specific needs of faculty members, a successful departmental faculty development program was implemented at an independent academic medical center. The key factors in the success of the program were early involvement of the faculty in the initiation of the program and specifically maintaining the program as a participant-driven process. This method may be generalizable to other similar institutions.

A Feasibility Study Comparing Two Chiropractic Protocols in the Treatment of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

“…This may actually make the findings developed from this pilot study and future research conducted in this type of environment extrapolate better to the wider chiropractic community. 51,48 Dropouts and Adverse Effects As reported, there were a few mild adverse reactions but no reports of serious adverse reactions (eg, defined as persistent severe knee stiffness, swelling, and/or pain). 41 There were other reasons why patients left the study, for example, one patient received his or her first 2 treatments immediately before a college scheduled 1-week break.…”

“…This may actually make the findings, borne out of conducting future studies in this type of environment, extrapolate better to the wider chiropractic community. 48,51 a Denotes a clinically meaningful change (1.5-2.0 cm = clinically meaningful change; 0 = best, 100 = worst score).…”

“…An ability to provide improved continuity of care in some cases where there was a brief interruption during trimester breaks as well as the ability to compensate patients for time and effort, and therefore increase compliance, may enhance the outcomes in future trials. 51 Later modification of patient recruitment and marketing strategies led to an unexpected increase in sample size, which provided the opportunity to explore descriptive statistics and trends. Using the PSS, descriptively 73% and 64% of patients (ie, groups A and B, respectively) were satisfied with treatment.…”

A Single-Group Pretest Posttest Design Using Full Kinetic Chain Manipulative Therapy With Rehabilitation in the Treatment of 18 Patients With Hip Osteoarthritis

“…However, these limitations do not appear to have, in an obvious way, greatly impacted the clinically meaningful outcomes revealed in this study and may actually argue, particularly in the case of a mix of treatment providers, that these findings may be more generalizable. 20,29,[74][75][76] After manipulation and stretching of the hip, Hoeksma et al 24 used "motion or movement assessment and palation" to determine if axial elongation manipulation was successful or whether it should be repeated. Specifically, this "motion palpation" was used to compare the involved hip against the more normal opposite hip to check if there was fuller hip flexion and/or if there was restored end feel spring flexion beyond end ROM (an assessment added secondary to advice from the expert opinion of consultant manual physical therapists).…”

‘Uncrunching’ time: medical schools’ use of social media for faculty development

“…As opportunities to receive professional development have increased, however, so have work demands on faculty, making it difficult to take advantage of voluntary offerings. In surveys of faculty at institutions as disparate as McGill University (5), Maine Medical Center (6), and Catholic University of Chile (7), faculty members reveal that the most significant barrier to participation in faculty development activities is the lack of time. …”