The Role of Organizational Context in the Creation and Sustainability of Dental Faculty Development Initiatives

Academies in Health Professions Education: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Thirty years ago, academies were conceived as a sociocultural approach to revitalize the teaching mission of medical schools and to promote educators' career advancement. The academy movement has grown rapidly and now reaches a broad range of health professions education organizations. The authors conducted a scoping review to map the literature and describe the evidence that guides the formation of new academies and justifies the continuation of existing ones.

METHOD

The authors searched MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Elsevier and Ovid), CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), and Web of Science (via Clarivate Analytics) from inception through March 6, 2020, for publications regarding academy-like organizations. They mapped the relevant literature using logic modeling as an organizing framework and included the mission, resources, activities, output, outcomes, and impact of the included academies.

RESULTS

Of the 513 publications identified, 43 met the inclusion criteria, the oldest of which was published in 2000. Most publications were either case reports or perspective/opinion pieces (26, 57.8%), while studies presenting empirical findings were less common (11, 24.4%). Publications showed that academies were diversifying and increasingly were part of a broad range of organizations, including departments, hospitals, health science campuses, and national organizations. The mission, resources, and activities were similar across academies. Evaluation studies were largely limited to process measures, and rigorous studies examining outcomes (i.e., changes in academy participants) and impact on the organization at large were rare.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase in the number of academy-related publications parallels the accelerating speed of the academy movement. To sustain this movement, rigorous studies must provide evidence that academies contribute to the revitalization of organizations' teaching mission and bring about an academic culture where educators thrive and where education is a legitimate career path.

Outcomes from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Dental Faculty Development Program

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

While the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) requires programs to conduct faculty development, implementation of faculty development activities vary widely. Faculty development programs can enhance teaching, research, and leadership skills needed to transition from clinical practice to teaching. In 2012, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded 6 institutions to plan, develop, and operate programs for training oral healthcare providers who plan to teach in general, pediatric, public health dentistry, or dental hygiene. This performance study examines the results of the dental faculty development programs.

METHODS

After the 5-year grant program (2012-2017), we used descriptive analysis to examine annual performance data including trainee demographics, faculty development activities, post-completion intentions, and course development activities.

RESULTS

Nearly 300 trainees participated across 6 funded grantees; the majority were female, aged 30-49 years, and non-Hispanic White. For those who completed, 80% intended to teach. Common faculty development activities included community-based training, curriculum enhancements, Web-based training, and interprofessional education methods. Faculty development modalities included faculty seminars, Master's degrees, and mentoring. Pipeline activities, online resources, and continuing education supported dental students and providers moving into academics.

CONCLUSIONS

Faculty development better prepares individuals to compete in academic environments and develop faculty. Community-based programs may utilize faculty development to recruit community preceptors and achieve calibration. HRSA investment in faculty development programs builds resources and infrastructure to promote continuing engagement in clinical education, research, and administrative skills. Future research is needed to establish the impact of faculty development initiatives on practice change and patient outcomes.

How Culture Is Understood in Faculty Development in the Health Professions: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

To examine the ways in which culture is conceptualized in faculty development (FD) in the health professions.

METHOD

The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC, and CINAHL, as well as the reference lists of identified publications, for articles on culture and FD published between 2006 and 2018. Based on inclusion criteria developed iteratively, they screened all articles. A total of 955 articles were identified, 100 were included in the full-text screen, and 70 met the inclusion criteria. Descriptive and thematic analyses of data extracted from the included articles were conducted.

RESULTS

The articles emanated from 20 countries; primarily focused on teaching and learning, cultural competence, and career development; and frequently included multidisciplinary groups of health professionals. Only 1 article evaluated the cultural relevance of an FD program. The thematic analysis yielded 3 main themes: culture was frequently mentioned but not explicated; culture centered on issues of diversity, aiming to promote institutional change; and cultural consideration was not routinely described in international FD.

CONCLUSIONS

Culture was frequently mentioned but rarely defined in the FD literature. In programs focused on cultural competence and career development, addressing culture was understood as a way of accounting for racial and socioeconomic disparities. In international FD programs, accommodations for cultural differences were infrequently described, despite authors acknowledging the importance of national norms, values, beliefs, and practices. In a time of increasing international collaboration, an awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural contexts is needed.