Salary structure, promotion, and tenure policies in nurturing the young academician

With respect to salary structure, promotion, and tenure for academic clinical faculty, and based on the issues I have described, we must consider the following five priorities: 1. To provide salary support which is appropriate for responsibilities in teaching, research, and clinical administration, and not dependent on clinical earnings, 2. To maintain flexible salary arrangements which may include a component of clinical fee-for-service earnings, and partial salary support for defined clinical teaching or administration, 3. To design a more integrated management system for these new funding arrangements which brings together medical schools and teaching hospitals and is accountable to the appropriate government agencies. 4. To improve performance review and promotion procedures, based on agreed job descriptions and recognizing the importance of teaching, research, clinical administration, and service, and 5. To review critically the role of tenure for academic clinicians and examine alternatives such as renewable term appointments There is a growing momentum to address these issues and priorities among all of those involved. This will be critical in the continued career development of Canadian academic physicians.