Defining Their Own Success: Scholars' Views After a Faculty Development Program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Faculty Development
• Academic Pediatrics

Background:

• The roles of medical educators are expanding, but clear career paths and definitions of success remain undefined.
• Most studies on educator success focus on institutional perspectives, not the educators' own views.
• This study explores academic pediatricians' self-perceptions of professional and personal success after a faculty development program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of a national faculty development program (FDP) on academic pediatricians' self-described professional and personal success.
• To understand how educators define and experience success from their own perspectives.
• To identify key themes and factors contributing to medical educator success.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative, cross-sectional study involving interviews with alumni of a faculty development program (2019-2021).
• Thematic analysis was used to identify 6 key themes from interview data.
• Fourteen scholars participated in in-depth interviews.

Main Results:

• All 14 interviewed scholars perceived themselves as successful, citing personal attributes, resources, skill development, mentorship, networking, and community connection.
• Success was defined by both outcome and impact measures, including mentoring, collaborations, expertise, and broadened perspectives.
• A model integrating 3 frameworks was developed to holistically represent the data.

Conclusions:

• Academic pediatricians in the FDP viewed themselves as successful, emphasizing impact through mentorship and collaboration alongside traditional metrics like publications and promotions.
• These findings offer insights for self-assessment, faculty development program enhancement, and strategic investment in faculty educators.
• The study underscores the importance of recognizing diverse definitions of success in medical education.