'How Do I Get There From Here?' Discerning Pathways for Successful Faculty Promotion in Education at a Medical School

Promotion pathways for clinician educators (CEs) at academic institutions can be unclear, partially due to the specialization of faculty in education and the heterogeneity of their roles. Little specific guidance exists on promotion for CEs; therefore, we examined the lived experiences of recently promoted faculty to identify successful strategies that help early career CEs achieve promotion.

We conducted a qualitative study utilizing semistructured interviews of 19 associate and full professors to explore their successes, missteps, what they would have done differently, and advice to early-career faculty. Inductive analysis included individual review and group consensus. After generating codes and collapsing them into themes, we used the Social Cognitive Career Theory framework for higher-level analysis.

Themes were organized into 2 categories: (1) advice for new CEs and (2) what institutions should offer. Individual strategies included finding mentors and sponsors, developing scholarship in education, and establishing career direction. Institutional strategies included providing formal or informal training, ensuring protected time, and minimizing nonmeaningful work for early-career faculty.

Given the lack of specificity in promotion guidelines for CEs, these themes offer guidance from faculty who successfully navigated promotion. These can inform both early-career faculty and departments seeking to support CE advancement.

Successful promotion for CEs depends on mentorship and sponsorship, scholarship development, career direction, and institutional support. These findings provide actionable strategies for faculty and leadership to improve clarity and equity in promotion processes.