Developing an academic administration clerkship for upper-division medical students

It is increasingly apparent that there exists a need for academic administrators and an interest in that field on the part of physicians and medical students. In many academic medical centers physicians are called upon to assume administrative responsibilities or have a desire to pursue an administrative career. Medical students also play an important role in their university's governance through their representation on medical school and university committees as well as their participation in various national organizations. In addition, there continues to be a general lack of understanding regarding the nature of the internal and external variables affecting medical education. The course described in this paper is intended to provide students with an understanding of the administrative responsibilities inherent in academic management positions.