Too Many Hats? Conflicts of Interest in Learning Community Faculty Roles.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Administration

Background:

• US medical schools increasingly utilize learning communities for advising and teaching.
• Faculty in these communities often hold multiple educator roles, necessitating a review of potential conflicts of interest (COIs).
• Addressing COIs is crucial for student transparency and regulatory compliance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess faculty perceptions regarding potential conflicts of interest (COIs) for learning community faculty.
• To understand current practices and policies related to COIs in medical education at institutions with learning communities.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to institutional contacts at 42 Learning Communities Institute (LCI) member medical schools.
• The survey queried faculty opinions on roles conflicting with learning community duties, particularly concerning student assessment (formative and summative).
• Inquiries were made regarding existing institutional policies on COIs in medical education.

Main Results:

• 85% of surveyed institutions responded, with a majority (86%) supporting learning community faculty involvement in formative student evaluations.
• A significant portion (54%) agreed that learning community faculty should contribute to summative grading.
• While most respondents (89%) were aware of accreditation standards regarding unbiased academic counseling, only 29% reported having a formal school policy on educational COIs.

Conclusions:

• Faculty at medical schools with learning communities express concern regarding potential COIs arising from their multifaceted roles.
• A significant gap exists between faculty awareness of COI issues and the implementation of formal policies to manage them.
• Most institutions have not yet developed specific policies to address COIs within their learning community structures.