Academic Identity of Clinician-Educators After Clinical Practice Ownership Transition

The academic identity of clinician-educators is critical to supporting the broader mission of health care organizations. Mergers are increasingly common, but when private and academic institutions merge, they may threaten clinician-educator academic identity and negatively impact their work as educators. The effect of these mergers on academic identity-specifically for clinical educators-has not been systematically investigated. We aim to understand the effect of a merger between our academic institution and a not-for-profit regional health care system on the academic identity of clinician-educators.

Two theories of organizational change framed our qualitative interview study. A semistructured interview guide was designed following the theoretical framework elements. Fifteen academic clinician-educators who experienced the merger were invited to a Zoom interview. Selected candidates were at the academic rank of Professor or Associate Professor, were noted to have leadership roles within the academic institution and represented varied clinical specialties including surgical, medical, hospital-based, and clinic-based disciplines. Data were coded using deductive directed content analysis to identify professional identity-related response patterns that would illuminate potential change in identity, consideration of alternative employment, shift in motivation, or reduced organizational loyalty.

The data coalesced into the four theoretical framework elements. Clinician-educators articulated their transition reactions, detailed how they define their identity, noted varying degrees of continuity perceptions, and articulated resistance considerations and actions. The initial uncertainty and workplace changes were distracting and may weaken clinician-educator academic identity.

Supporting clinician-educator academic identity is core to fostering a culture of academic and educational excellence during mergers.