A Pilot of Academic Coordination Enhances Faculty Learning, Career Development and Professional Equity

ABSTRACT

Background: Academic leadership, such as through peer-reviewed scholarship, enables life-long learning. However, since the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, faculty in Psychiatry, including C/L psychiatrists, lack the time or resources to balance their clinical workload with the academic mission. This opportunity cost drives burnout and leads to underrepresentation of women in senior academic roles [1]. Aim(s) To bolster academic achievement and enhance gender equity among Psychiatry faculty at a large, metropolitan academic medical center, we piloted an IRB-exempt quality improvement study to implement academic coordination A coordinator assisted all faculty with administrative tasks related to academic advancement over a 6-month duration. Method(s) In the first two months, junior clinical faculty were offered access (n=50);thereafter, all additional faculty (n=35). We tracked hours of coordination;tasks requested by faculty;participant demographics;a Likert-scale assessment of perception of control over time and its impact on wellness [2], pre- and post-matched for the intervention;a Likert-scaled assessment of gains from the program;and a thematic evaluation of free-text responses on gains from the program. For the pre- and post-matched survey, we will use a paired t-test to analyze the data. For thematic evaluation of free-text responses, we will conduct a categorization which ultimately groups inductive codes sharing similar meaning into subthemes. Results (Preliminary) Participation rate 26 faculty took the pre-program survey;23 faculty requested assistance with tasks;18 matched faculty completed the post-program survey. Pre-program demographics 92% clinical;65% female and 35% male;4% lecturer, 81% instructor and 15% assistant professors;average years from residency graduation was 8.54 (range 0-47) and average age was 41 (range 32-74). Tasks 38 tasks were completed through 275 hours of coordination with the majority of requests for academic CV or NIH bio-sketch updates. Additional requests were for background literature searches, reference formatting, journal review and selection, and manuscript formatting. Further data analysis is pending. Discussion(s) Preliminary data demonstrated higher utilization of academic coordination from junior, female faculty. This reveals an emerging opportunity to address gender disparities in professional equity. Conclusion(s) To assist C/L faculty in reconciling the work-work conflict from competing demands in the academic environment and to enhance life-long learning, administrative resources are critical. Further conclusions are pending. References 1. Davis PB, Meagher EA, Pomeroy C, Lowe WL, Rubenstein AH, Wu JY, Curtis AB, Jackson RD. Pandemic-related barriers to the success of women in research a framework for action. Nature Medicine. 2022 Mar;28(3)436-8. 2. Fassiotto M, Simard C, Sandborg C, Valantine H, Raymond J. An integrated career coaching and time banking system promoting flexibility, wellness, and success a pilot program at Stanford University School of Medicine. Academic medicine journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2018 Jun;93(6)881. Copyright © 2022