Faculty career tracks at U.S. medical schools

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Faculty career tracks are crucial for academic medical institutions.
• Understanding the landscape of these tracks is essential for institutional planning and faculty guidance.
• Existing policies and institutional characteristics influencing these tracks require detailed examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate the various faculty career tracks available at U.S. MD-granting institutions.
• To investigate the correlation between institutional characteristics and the types of faculty career tracks offered.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of faculty policies from 129 accredited U.S. MD-granting medical schools was conducted between 2008 and 2009.
• Data on tenured and nontenured tracks in teaching, research, and clinical care were collected and analyzed.
• Institutional characteristics were correlated with the identified career track data.

Main Results:

• Data from 98 schools revealed an average of 3.6 career tracks per institution, with a majority (210/353) being nontenured.
• Research tracks were more prevalent than education or clinical tracks; clinical tracks were offered by almost all schools with defined tracks.
• Schools with more tracks often used modified titles for nontenured faculty, and faculty size/type influenced the number of clinical tracks offered.

Conclusions:

• Significant heterogeneity exists in faculty career tracks and policies among U.S. medical schools.
• This study provides valuable insights for institutions developing faculty policies.
• The findings can assist students, residents, and faculty in navigating career decisions within academic medicine.