PART I    ACADEMIC MEDICINE.

What is Academic Medicine?

Practicing medicine in a medical school environment, the associated hospital(s) and ambulatory clinics, involving clinical service, teaching, and research opportunities.

What are the benefits and advantages?

Working in an academic medical setting offers the benefits and stimulation of the most current clinical practice techniques, as well as professional camaraderie with colleagues in clinical practice, biomedical and clinical research, and medical education.  Academic medicine is perceived by practitioners as more stimulating than private practice, there is peer support for new practitioners and researchers, and the opportunity to participate in the evolution of medical education and the science of medical practice. 

In academic medicine, the practitioner has the opportunity to (1) work with a diverse patient population; (2) cases referred to the university are seen as more unusual or more complex than routine private practice, creating an intellectually challenging case load; (3) there is potential for continual learning through treating these difficult cases and teaching of medical students and residents.  This "bi-directional" teaching occurs in working with residents where the give and take of each case creates a learning opportunity for both the faculty member and the resident;  (4) there is the added opportunity for administrative and organizational responsibilities; and (5) the opportunity to conduct research, adding another dimension to clinical practice.

According to David Clive, M.D., one of the advantages of academic medicine is that you "wear lots of hats, if you get tired of doing one thing—switch.  But you cannot function as a multi-talented academician, researcher, teacher, administrator and clinician all at once.  You have to specialize."[i]

A national survey of the U.S. professoriate conducted in 1995-96 queried 34,000 university faculty from 384 universities on issues including reasons for pursuing an academic career.  The table below shows the results by majority and underrepresented minority (URM) status (URMs represented 8.7% of the total sample).  The highest ranked reasons were Autonomy, Flexible Schedule, Intellectual Challenge, Freedom to Pursue Interests, Opportunities for Teaching, and Opportunities for Research.

HERI Survey of the American Professoriate, 1995-96. Astin, Antonio, Cress, & Astin, 1997.[ii]

Where can I practice academic medicine?

The title, academic medicine, implies that faculty work in a tertiary-care university hospital setting.  Certainly, much teaching of medical students and residents takes place throughout the clinics and wards of large university and Veterans Affairs affiliated hospitals.  Similarly, much research is generated, data collected, analyzed and prepared for publication in the university environment. 

This is not the only scenario for academic medicine.  Increasingly, opportunities are developing in community (rural and urban) health centers for faculty interested in combining their interests in clinical care, with those of teaching and research.  As described by Evan Charney, M.D., General Pediatrics Academic Physician: "Along with the greater emphasis on preparing generalists is an evolving need to include community-based practicing faculty as teachers; and so in many places you can have a strong role as a teacher for medical students and residents while working in a community-based practice."[iii]

In New Mexico where the need for physicians in community, especially rural settings is acute, there are programs in place to support a growing number of community-based faculty positions.  There are also opportunities to teach medical students and residents in the clinical environment as a preceptor.  "The goal of the Preceptorship Program is to enable medical students to gain experience and skills in the clinical and community health problems encountered by physicians practicing in small communities in New Mexico."[i]  For information about the UNM SOM preceptor program, contact the Preceptorship Office, 272-3510. The UNM Learning Center located on the second floor of University Hospital, supports a library of practice site information, employment packages, job search information, loan repayment and financial planning information, and computer facilities.  The Center also sponsors the Raps and Gaps (Resident and Graduate Assisted Placement Services) professional preparation seminar series.  Call 272-4861 for more information.

Contact the Hispanic and Native American Center of Excellence
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
(505) 272-1419

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