Poster3-07: EVOLVING THE DEFINITION OF FACULTY IN AN ESTABLISHED ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER UNDERGOING CLINICAL EXPANSION
Amy N Hildreth, MD, Evelyn Y Anthony, MD, Michael T Fitch, MD, PhD, Julie Freischlag, MD; Wake Forest School of Medicine

Introduction:  As academic medical centers (AMCs) evolve to meet the healthcare needs of our population, medical schools and their faculty must adapt. Our health system has grown to include several new practices and hospitals.  As we explored ways to include these new physicians in the academic mission, we examined the attitudes of traditional academic faculty members about what elements define a faculty member and the value of a faculty appointment.

Methods:  We surveyed key stakeholders over a two-week period in August 2018.  Those surveyed included department chairs and section heads, executive leaders, senior and associate deans, promotions and tenure committee members, and faculty representatives.  The survey was administered in REDCap and included demographics as well as attitudes about faculty appointment.  Factors bringing meaning to faculty appointment were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1= no impact, 5= significant impact). 

Results:  One hundred seventy-seven faculty members were surveyed; 114 responded (response rate 64.4%).  Respondents had a variety of terminal degrees: 62 MD/DO (54.3%), 31 PhD (27.1%), 8 MD/PhD (7.0%), and 13 “other” or no response (11.4%).  Over 90% were Professor or Associate Professor.  Sixty-nine (60.5%) were in favor of establishing a new faculty category for physicians entering our health network, and respondents supported establishing new clinical rank titles with a separate advancement committee for evaluating contributions and promotion applications.  A majority felt that these new clinical faculty should have expectations for minimum levels of teaching activities and participation in clinical research.  When describing meaningfulness of their current faculty appointment, participants reported that a sense of belonging to the academic mission (4.4/5), personal satisfaction (4.4/5), and national/international recognition (4.2/5) were of the highest impact.

Conclusions: A majority of faculty at our AMC support an expansion of our current definition of faculty to include physicians from newly acquired hospitals and practices in a new faculty category. Faculty recommend establishing new rank titles and an advancement system that rewards excellent patient care, teaching, and participation in clinical research.  Faculty find a sense of meaning in belonging to the academic mission and are open to creating new pathways for others to share this experience.