Part-Time Faculty Member: Lightweight or Leader-in-Waiting?

By: Susan M. Pollart, MD, MS, senior associate dean for faculty affairs and faculty development, University of Virginia School of Medicine Eighteen years ago, when my youngest (of two children) was born, I made the leap to part-time work in academic medicine. While my institution was on the verge of being ready for part-time prime time (i.e., had just begun to offer benefits for part-time clinical faculty), I was unquestionably a pioneer at my institution. Sometime over the next seven or eight years, I gradually returned to full-time work, moving from 75% to 80% then finally returning to full time when my youngest was well settled in school. My experiences as a part-time academic clinician mirrored those reported by the 63 men and women interviewed as part of a qualitative study of U.S. part-time medical school faculty.1 Like those interviewed, I was pleased to maintain not only my professional activities but also my professional relationships and identity. I enjoyed the flexibility and the reduced stress that came with less juggling. But I had concerns about how my commitment might be viewed, what happened in my absence, and how my time away might impact my future career. Fortunately, my chair allowed me to continue in leadership roles and, during those years of decreased workload, offered new opportunities for both professional development and advancement. Not surprisingly, my own experience has led me to wonder what may have changed over the past 10 years. With colleag...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Featured Guest Perspective faculty development part-time faculty work-life balance Source Type: blogs