Table 1.
A Comparison of Today’s Academic Clinician Researcher vs. Academic Clinician Educator
| Career context | Career characteristic | Academic clinician researcher | Academic clinician educator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | Primary aim | Independent research expertise and funding in a focused area | Outstanding clinical and educational outcomes |
| Career motivator | To add knowledge by applying the scientific method; to leave a legacy through published work | To heal and teach by applying both art and science; to leave a legacy through other people | |
| Relevant training | Most with fellowship training that includes research methodology, grant writing, and biostatistics | Some with additional training in teaching methodology or education research. Many participate in occasional workshops or conferences | |
| Institutional | Salary support | Salary support from external sources (e.g., NIH) in highly competitive process; minor internal contribution for clinical work | Salary support from within the institution for clinical work; some from education or intramural grants |
| Time allocation | Majority time devoted to research; a protected research time often mandated by career awards | Majority time devoted to clinical care and teaching; rare funded time for scholarship | |
| Promotion expectations | Clearly defined and often rigid promotion criteria focused on grants and publications | More flexible promotion criteria with a variety of ways to demonstrate impact | |
| Dissemination strategies | Peer-reviewed manuscripts of original research |
Some peer-reviewed publications of programs, curricular innovations, reviews Non-peer-reviewed chapters, books |
|
| External | Career mentorship | Expected by external funders; occasionally funded mentor (e.g., K24); mutual benefit externally visible (e.g., shared publications) | Dependent on internal systems or individual initiative; often unfunded mentor; mutual benefit less defined or visible |
| Collaboration culture | Expected high degree of both internal and external collaboration as research teams | Individual interpersonal interactions mostly internal to the program or institution |