Recruiting faculty with clinical responsibilities: factors that influence a decision to accept an academic position

The current opportunities for veterinary clinical specialists in private practice and industry have made recruiting and retaining faculty a major focus for most clinical academic departments. To gain a better understanding of the importance of the various factors considered in accepting an academic position, an electronic survey was distributed to newly hired veterinary faculty with clinical responsibilities. The results suggest that the perceived climate and collegiality within the prospective hiring department is the most important factor influencing the decision to accept an academic position. Salary is the second most important factor. Institutional support for the newly hired faculty member and the reputation and quality of the prospective institution rank as more important than the perceived quality of the local community and the geographic location of the institution. The search process and administrative support are the least important factors. There were no differences between the responses of faculty hired into tenure-track positions and those of faculty hired into clinical-track positions. Focusing on the advantages of a collegial environment, enhancing compensation packages, and using creative and flexible appointments may improve faculty recruitment and retention in clinical academic departments.