A significant goal of the Department of Medicine is to raise the academic and clinical stature of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) and Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH).  In essence, we are “raising the bar” for our new faculty, commensurate with the recruitment of an increasingly talented group of residents and fellows.  We will provide opportunities in continuing education and teaching roles for existing faculty; however, the responsibility for meeting academic obligations ultimately rests with each faculty member.  Although the evolution of our residency program and medical school curriculum reduces some traditional teaching roles, new and exciting opportunities for faculty involvement have also been created.

Consistent with our goal of creating and sustaining a premier academic department, the following guidelines define our expectations for prospective faculty members.

Prospective faculty member must:

• Meet all the requirements specified in NMH medical staff bylaws;
• Be a highly ranked graduate (e.g., CMR candidate) of one of the top residency or fellowship training programs (e.g. of equal or higher rank thanNorthwestern) in the United States, if within three years of graduation, or
• Have documentation supporting excellence as a faculty member in education or research at a top-tier internal medicine department (e.g. top 20) in the United States;
• Fill a specific need as recognized in (1) the NMH complement analysis while being within NMH’s projected capacity constraints and (2) the academic programs of the Department of Medicine or Feinberg School of Medicine and the NU Program Review;
• Understand and affirm commitment to fulfill continuing academic obligations of faculty members for our own trainees (see below).

Prior to receiving an offer of a position, prospective specialists should meet with the appropriate division chief, and generalist physicians should meet with the Vice-Chairman of Clinical Affairs and the Vice-Chairman for Faculty Affairs and Education.  Any exceptions to these guidelines will be considered by the Department on a limited basis, however these exceptions must be well qualified.

The Department of Medicine will not delegate the right of faculty appointments, and thus medical staff appointments to any other agent.  The appropriate division chief should be involved in any planning to add physicians to the faculty. It is also desirable that a small diverse search committee be formed, similar to the process routinely employed for full time faculty. The Department also supports faculty diversity and women and minorities are particularly encouraged to be candidates. The Department will assist interested groups to help ensure that outstanding candidates are recruited to Northwestern.

The Department of Medicine has defined expectations for continuing faculty members in order to enhance career paths, foster continuing medical education, and maintain excellence and prestige of our department and training programs.

Faculty members must:

• Attend a minimum of 25%, and ideally more than half, of our Medical Grand Rounds each year;
• As a Sub-specialist, regularly attend and effectively contribute to the appropriate divisional conferences;
• Attend  Department of Medicine retreats, unless excused because of significant unavoidable schedule conflict;
• Be available to interview prospective residency candidates;
• Be an effective teacher during any opportunities to teach clinical medicine to residents and medical students, as well as, participate in faculty development Seminars sponsored by the Department;
• Meet academic obligations as measured by accumulating teaching relative value units (RVUs) annually (see below).

In an effort to fairly distribute our teaching opportunities and obligations, the Department has refined the process used for weighting teaching assignments.  The Director of Undergraduate Education will continue to make the assignments for most of the large first and second year courses as well as the primary care clerkship (PCC).  The Department expects a minimum of 15 teaching RVUs annually from all faculty members, including both contributed service and full time faculty.  In addition to the inherent value of teaching – both for faculty and students – this level of effort is necessary to meet our obligation to the medical school as members of an academic medical center.  Since many of the teaching assignments are made by others in the department (e.g., Northwestern Service or VA wards), division chiefs (e.g., Consult months and SBM lectures) or course directors (e.g., MDM), we will not attempt to prospectively manage all of the teaching assignments.  At the end of each academic year, we will attempt to tabulate the teaching performed by individual faculty and enclose it with next year’s assignment.  If there is additional teaching that has not been calculated, please submit this information in writing, via facsimile (at (312) 926-0239) or by e-mail (pocolema@nmh.org) to Poppy Coleman.  Over the course of several years, we expect each faculty member’s average to be at least 15 teaching RVU’s per year.  Renewal of faculty appointments will be dependent on fulfilling this responsibility.

This policy was reviewed at three DOM Council meetings in 2003 and approved. An overview was discussed at the fall 2003 all faculty DOM retreat. 

Updated 11/06