Academic Identity of Clinician-Educators After Clinical Practice Ownership Transition

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Organizational Behavior
• Health Care Management

Background:

• Clinician-educator academic identity is vital for healthcare organizations.
• Mergers, particularly between private and academic institutions, may threaten this identity.
• The impact of mergers on clinician-educator academic identity requires systematic investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand the effect of a merger between an academic institution and a regional health care system on clinician-educator academic identity.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interview study guided by two theories of organizational change.
• Semistructured interviews conducted with 15 academic clinician-educators (Professors/Associate Professors) from diverse specialties.
• Deductive directed content analysis used to identify identity-related response patterns.

Main Results:

• Clinician-educators described transition reactions, identity definitions, continuity perceptions, and resistance.
• Initial uncertainty and workplace changes were distracting.
• Potential weakening of clinician-educator academic identity was observed.

Conclusions:

• Supporting clinician-educator academic identity is essential during mergers.
• This support fosters a culture of academic and educational excellence.
• Proactive strategies are needed to mitigate negative impacts on identity.