The emergence of academies of educational excellence: a survey of U.S. medical schools.

PURPOSE: To identify existing organizations that recognize faculty members' excellence as educators (Academies) in the United States, and describe the organizations' characteristics. METHOD: A 31-item questionnaire inquiring about Academies or equivalent programs was sent to deans of medical education at all 125 U.S. medical schools in February of 2003. Variables examined were general Academy characteristics such as membership selection criteria, goals, benefits of membership, and budget, as well as, estimates of prestige of membership and influence on recruiting new and current faculty to educational activities. RESULTS: Twenty of 97 (21%) respondents reported an implemented Academy or equivalent program (eight begun prior to 2000 and 11 subsequently). Most Academies (75%) did not "cap" membership size, and most (65%) offered lifetime membership. Budgets ranged from 0 dollars to more than 100,000 dollars per year. Full-time faculty status (100%) and involvement in direct undergraduate teaching (95%) affected eligibility the most. Nominations for membership most often came from department or section chairs (89%) and from peers (74%), and learners were involved in the final selection process at 18 of the Academies. Benefits of membership included networking/collaboration, school-wide recognition, and mentoring for educational skills development. The benefit of protected time was offered at only three institutions and was associated with having a larger budget. Respondents believe Academies positively influence faculty participation in educational activities. CONCLUSIONS: Academies are formal organizations recognizing faculty contributions to medical education, and they are increasing in number. They offer important benefits to faculty members and the educational mission of an academic medical center.

The medical educator teaching portfolio: its compilation and potential utility.

A revolution in thinking and redefinition of traditional scholarship by prioritising teaching skills and achievements has led to the birth of the Teaching Portfolio, designed to carry a comprehensive and dynamic record of the teaching activities of the faculty. A teaching portfolio documents the faculty's teaching scholarship and effectiveness. It is a record of selected information on one's teaching achievements, skills and strategies and dynamically represents the faculty's growth, progress and teaching record. The author suggests a template for the Teaching Portfolio of a Medical Educator, which consists of four parts: (1) evaluation, (2) personal professional development, (3) learning processes and (4) an appendix.

Radiology resident selection: Objective Restructured Interview to assess five essential attributes.

Like in other medical fields, candidates seeking a career in Radiology requires special skills and aptitudes. Selecting candidates for radiology residency is made difficult by the fact that many of the essential qualities predictive of a good radiology consultant, such as interpersonal skills, recognition of limits, curiosity, conscientiousness, and confidence level, are "non-cognitive", and thus difficult to assess. This paper describes the selection procedure developed by the Department of Radiology of Baylor College of Medicine to measure, as objectively as possible, both the cognitive and non-cognitive qualities of candidates, based on a combination of traditional screening and Objective Structured Interviews. This paper highlights efficacy of this selection procedure that includes both cognitive and non-cognitive factors, that is relevant also to other medical specialities.