Under pressure: Supporting academic faculty in demanding times

Medical education has long relied upon the inherent rewards of teaching to secure necessary educators. In an era of increasing emphasis upon clinical productivity, the expectation of faculty engagement in medical education has been upended. In addition, the demands and stressors of modern medical education has contributed to the perceived cost of teaching by faculty. This article describes the factors that have coalesced to change the environment in which medical education has long succeeded and provides strategies that can be employed to help mitigate these forces, increase perceived value in teaching, and better support the academic faculty upon which medical education depends.