Factors Associated with Veterinary Clinical Faculty Attrition.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Faculty Retention Studies

Background:

• Faculty attrition and recruitment are significant challenges in veterinary medical education.
• Understanding factors influencing retention is crucial for academic veterinary institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors associated with faculty attrition in veterinary clinical academic positions.
• To determine the perceptions and views of veterinary clinical academic faculty regarding retention.

Main Methods:

• A web-distributed electronic survey was used to collect data from veterinary clinical academic faculty.
• Responses were analyzed based on whether participants had left an academic position.
• 1,226 responses were dichotomized and analyzed for associations with faculty attrition.

Main Results:

• Factors beyond compensation, such as departmental culture, work-life balance, and administrative support for clinical medicine, are linked to faculty attrition.
• 44% of respondents who had held a faculty appointment reported leaving academia for various reasons.
• Reasons for leaving included voluntary departures and non-voluntary issues like failure to achieve tenure or position closure.

Conclusions:

• Addressing deficiencies in workplace culture and professional rewards is essential to reduce faculty attrition rates in clinical academic veterinary medicine.
• Improving the academic environment can enhance the retention of valuable veterinary clinical faculty.