Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
26:22
Homarus Americanus Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection
Published on: May 28, 2009
The full-time clinical faculty: what goes around, comes around
Barbara Barzansky1, Gretchen Kenagy
1Division of Undergraduate Medical Education, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois 60654, USA. barbara.barzansky@ama-assn.org
Summary
The Flexner Report envisioned full-time clinical faculty dedicated to teaching and research. However, financial realities led to faculty relying on clinical practice income, a trend that continues today, impacting medical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Academic Medicine
- Clinical Faculty Development
Background:
- Abraham Flexner's 1910 report proposed a university-based, full-time faculty model for medical education.
- This model emphasized faculty dedication to teaching and research.
Observation:
- The implementation of full-time clinical faculty faced financial challenges from 1910-1930s.
- The "geographic" full-time model emerged (1940s-1960s), allowing income from clinical practice.
- Increased reliance on clinical practice revenue by medical schools expanded full-time clinical faculty numbers.
Findings:
- Clinical faculty became "full-time" and "salaried" over 100 years post-Flexner, but not as envisioned.
- Faculty salaries are now significantly supported by clinical practice revenue.
- Concerns about clinical practice "distracting" from educational duties persist.
Implications:
- The financial model of academic medicine has evolved significantly since the Flexner Report.
- The balance between clinical practice and educational/research roles remains a critical issue.
- Understanding this evolution is key to addressing contemporary challenges in medical education.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care. Here are a few more healthcare professionals.
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:30Toxidromes: Clinical Features
Toxidromes are specific patterns of symptoms resulting from toxic substance exposure. They help in the identification and treatment of poisoning. The symptoms of each toxidrome group indicate poisoning by a certain class of chemicals or drugs.1. Sympathomimetic: Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Symptoms include agitation, increased heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), temperature, and pupil size. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines, along with tremors and...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care.
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:26Methods of Documentation II: POMR
The Problem-Oriented Medical Record (POMR) revolutionized medical record-keeping by introducing a systematic approach focusing on the patient's problems rather than merely listing symptoms. Dr. Lawrence Weed's introduction of this method in the 1960s marked a significant advancement in medical documentation. The POMR framework consists of four key components: the database, problem list, plan of care, and progress notes.
02:40Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the biosynthesis of the...
01:20Anatomical Terminology
Knowledge of anatomy is essential to understand human biology and medicine. Anatomists and health care professionals use standard terminology to describe the human body with more precision and no ambiguity. Anatomical terms have mostly Greek and Latin-derived roots. Because these languages are rarely used in conversation, the meaning of words remains the same. Each term is made up of a root in between the prefixes and suffixes. The root of a term often refers to an organ, tissue, or condition,...