Faculty rewards for the generalist clinician-teacher

Historically, medicine has regarded itself as a profession of great breadth, encompassing the total range of human activity: biological, behavioral, social and organizational. In the last several decades, however, it has become increasingly reductionist, fragmented, and specialized. Recent developments, as exemplified by the return of the generalist clinician-educator to the academic community, portend a reversal of this trend. Manifestations of a change in the orientation of medicine and medical education toward bolism and bumanism include a movement toward improved compensation for "cognitive" services, development of new promotion tracks for clinician-teachers, and increased support and recognition of applied clinical research. Generalist faculty are in a position to benefit from these trends, but obstacles remain; vigilism and activism are required to maintain momentum.