Professional Academic Development: One purpose of this content area is to encourage consideration of issues such as career planning, understanding academic organizations, negotiating job demands, and determining personal priorities. This emphasis is designed to foster the FellowsÂ’ socialization to the academic environment. As indicated in the literature, these kinds of professional identity and socialization issues are crucial to a faculty member's long term satisfaction and success in academic medicine.
A second purpose of this content area is to provide Fellows with working skills needed for the leadership and management of academic family medicine organizations. FDC has found that our graduates tend to be promoted and assigned management responsibilities quite early in their careers. Because of the predictable frequency with which Fellowship graduates are offered and assume such positions, instruction is provided to equip them with the skills to carry out these responsibilities. Instruction in this content area is provided through assigned readings, lecture discussions, special individual projects, and case analyses. Instructors for this area include FDC staff and a number of outside consultants who are selected for their particular expertise and experience.
Specific skills that are addressed in this area are:
Job activity analysis and career planning
understanding interpersonal communication styles
developing an educator's portfolio
networking skills
grant writing skills
time management skills
residency accreditation
skills of initiating and maintaining organizational change
negotiation skills