Perspective: Recognizing and Rewarding Clinical Scholarship

Abstract

Faculty members in medical schools and academic medical centers are in a constant process of generating new knowledge. The cornerstone of academia--and academic medicine--is scholarship. Traditionally, tenure and/or academic promotion in the professorial ranks is awarded to those who meet institutional criteria in the missions of research, teaching, and service, including patient care. In the academic review process, priority is often placed on a record of demonstrated, consistent success in traditional laboratory research, also known as the scholarship of discovery. More recently, there has been greater recognition of other forms of scholarship: education, application, and integration. These forms of scholarship, although less recognized, also result in the generation of new knowledge. In an attempt to understand the breadth and scope of clinical scholarship, the authors searched the extant literature in academic medicine for a definition of clinical scholarship and expanded the search to disciplines outside of medicine. They found that succinct, discrete definitions of clinical scholarship have been published in other disciplines, but not in academic medicine. After reviewing definitions of clinical scholarship from other disciplines, adapting definitions of educational scholarship in academic medicine, and including qualities unique to clinical scholarship, the authors developed a framework for understanding clinical scholarship in academic medicine as a means for opening a dialogue within the academic medical community. This dialogue hopefully will lead to formulating a succinct, discrete definition of clinical scholarship that will allow greater recognition and reward for clinical scholars in the promotion and tenure process.

Recognizing diverse forms of scholarship in the modern medical college

“…See the Appendix for examples of work drawn from the literature that fall within Boyer's definitions. 4,10,17 2. Sharing responsibility: promoting diverse forms of scholarship is a shared responsibility.…”

“…4,10,17,18 Despite the popularity of Boyer's model, its adoption has not been met with universal success. Schweitzer describes how the model was adopted at the University of Louisville in the early 1990's as one of several ambitious initiatives launched by the Board of Trustees.…”

“…We, and others, are still struggling to develop appropriate metrics to evaluate the achievements of these faculty members. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Even among those on the more traditional "tenure track", there are faculty members, often holding PhDs, who pursue highly interdisciplinary forms of research that do not easily lend themselves to independent publications and/or funding. Examples include biostatisticians and those involved in neuroimaging science.…”

Limits to Scholarship: How Can We Enhance the Program Director’s Role?

“…Such alternative scholarship would not necessarily show up on a PubMed search and therefore should be judged differently from the traditional forms of scholarly work. Though less recognized by promotion committees or emphasized by AMCs, such scholarship is vital because it results in the generation of new knowledge and the advancement of the next generation of scholars [10].…”

Workshop Preparation and Presentation: A Valuable Form of Scholarship for the Clinician-Educator

“…Fortunately, scholarly work now includes not only peer-reviewed publications but also the development of curriculum materials, assessment tools, and presentation of educational workshops at regional or national meetings. [1][2][3] Although most individuals involved in residency education attend workshops at meetings, only a minority take on the challenge of leading them. This Rip Out is an instructional guide on how to prepare and present a successful workshop.…”