Faculty Development for Academic Emergency Physicians: A Focus Group Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Faculty development is crucial for academic physicians.
• Understanding the specific needs of emergency medicine faculty is essential for targeted programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the exposure to and needs regarding faculty development among academic emergency medicine physicians.
• To identify key areas for improvement in faculty development programs within academic emergency medicine.

Main Methods:

• Prospective qualitative study utilizing focus groups with Society for Academic Emergency Medicine members.
• Grounded theory approach with thematic analysis and constant comparative method for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Sixteen physicians participated, revealing six themes of unmet faculty development needs.
• Identified needs included knowledge/skills enhancement, relationship building, specific program resources, and professional benefits.

Conclusions:

• Academic emergency medicine faculty development should prioritize content for developers, member relationship-building, and organizational support.
• Findings can guide academic societies in designing effective faculty development programming.