A Practitioner’s Guide to a Successful Academic Career in Teaching, Service, and Scholarship

1. A Practitioner’s Guide to a Successful Academic Career in Teaching, Service, and Scholarship • Maureen Knell, Pharm.D., BCPS • Associate Clinical Professor • Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administration • University of Missouri – Kansas City • Saint Luke’s Multi-specialty Clinic • ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting 2008

2. Objectives • Discuss strategies for creating teamwork in the health care environment that enhance academic productivity • Describe the challenges associated with meeting obligations to both a school of pharmacy and a health care institution • Identify ways to incorporate patient care and institutional projects into a plan for personal academic success.

3. Confessions from an “accidental academician” on surviving and enjoying the “adventure”

4. Adventure:daring and exciting experience calling for enterprise and enthusiasm • --- Oxford American Dictionary

5. “Mentor: someone whose hindsight can become your foresight” ---unknown

6. How did I get here? • Never thought I’d be a professor of pharmacy • “Clinical” track position • Developed new practice site in ambulatory care • Internal Medicine • Anticoagulation Clinic • Chronic Pain Clinic

7. Clinical Faculty • Definition varies from institution • UMKC Workload Guidelines – Pharmacy Practice Division • 50% teaching • 20% research/scholarly activity • Service 10-15% • Pharmacy practice (direct patient care) – 10-15% • Areas overlap/flexibility!

8. Academia - The “Adventure” (First steps to launching into a practice/education-based academic career) • Approach as a long-term commitment • Make sure it’s the right “fit”

9. Getting the lay of the land • Do you have what it takes? • Do you know what it takes? • Is it the “right” environment? • Practice/institution • School of Pharmacy

10. Do you have what it takes?

11. Characteristics of the Academic Adventurer • Desire and attitude • Strong work ethic • Pay your dues, but don’t be abused • Continually looking for good ideas (can be simple!) • Interest in self improvement/continual learning • Developing practice expertise

12. Characteristics of the Academic Adventurer • Good organization/ time management skills • Goal oriented • professional goals • personal goals • Commitment to involvement • Students • School • Institution • Professional organizations

13. Characteristics of the Academic Adventurer • Adaptability • Ambassador • Diplomat • Visionary • Negotiator

14. Do you know what it takes?

15. What is “success” • Professional • Advancement (promotion/tenure) • Clearly defined • Altruistic/humanitarian • Patient • Students • Service • Personal

16. All good adventures follow a plan (framework) for success • Teaching/education • Practice • Scholarly Activity • Service

17. Is it the “right” environment? • Does the practice/institution provide and support the foundation for your academic success? • Does the school of pharmacy provide and support the foundation for your academic success?

18. Teaching, Practice, Scholarly Activity, Service… • Cohesive understanding between institution and the school of pharmacy • Day to day responsibilities/roles • Short-term and long term professional goals • Agreed upon outcomes • Flexibility to meet changing needs/interests

19. LUGGAGE, SUPPLIES and NECESSITIES • Logistics • Orientation, policies, procedures, personnel, resources • Mentor(s) • Faculty mentoring program • Team members (collaborators)

20. LUGGAGE, SUPPLIES and NECESSITIES • Support the development of expertise • Certifications (practice) • Education (workshops) • Networking (institution, school, profession) • Support engagement and involvement • Students • Profession • Institution • Service

21. Keys to a successful adventure

22. Keys to success • Find all kinds of mentors in all areas • Try to identify them in advance • Look beyond your division/school • Be proactive • Observe (what balance works for them?) • Collaborate • Find and/or help develop good “team members” • Support academic pursuits • Learn together • Collaborate

23. Keys to success • Teaching/Education • Dedicate time to improving • Innovate to enhance learning • Apply to didactic and experiential teaching • Measure changes/outcomes

24. Keys to success • Practice • Find your “champion(s)” • Work to develop an integrated team • Plan your services based on: • Student learning opportunities • Your interest/expertise • Reality of time • Needs of the institution/practice • Quality of the service

25. Key to success • Practice • Clearly define your role • Start small and build • Collect “baseline” data/information of the practice before you start • Provide value and show others your value • Measure changes/outcomes

26. Keys to success • Scholarly activity • Analyze outcomes of what you do (teaching/practice/service) • (find a mentor to help with analysis) • Present results --- posters, publications • Work “ahead” of results

27. Keys to success • Scholarly activity • Target “priorities” for publication • Let some of your ideas “go” • Collaborate / pass them on to others • Shelve for future • Document your work • Use promotion portfolio as a record (master copy) • Update annually (or more frequently) • Ideally, thin out for promotion

28. Keys to success • Service • Make it meaningful, when possible • Networking opportunities • Opportunities for student and professional organization engagement • Hone leadership and organizational skills

29. Keys to success • “Work Smarter, Not Harder” • Integrate teaching and practice (even service) and scholarly activity • Teach what you practice • Document/measure/analyze what you do through scholarly activity • Have a “scholarship” plan before you begin a project • Use students/residents! • Takes extra time, but provides more manpower • Makes student work meaningful • Opportunities for you to be the mentor

30. Keys to success • Professional balance • Say “no” or negotiate • How does an opportunity fit with your professional goals/objectives and life? • Once at “critical mass” trade, don’t add jobs/responsibilities • Re-evaluate if “on track” with promotion, other measures of success annually • Seek annual feedback from the institution/team

31. Keys to success • Work-life balance

32. Biggest Challenges! • Serving two “masters” • Promotion (tenure) • You’re the “bad” guy/gal (student perspective) • Job never ends! (time management) • Work-life balance

33. It’s not just a job… • Find your rewards!

34. My Top 10 Reasons 10. I have a Chair and Dean, but I’m my own boss 9. There is never a dull moment 8. Students keep work challenging 7. I enjoy being a mentor 6. We have developed a quality, collaborative, direct patient care practice

35. My Top 10 Reasons 5. I have developed strong and respectful relationships with our healthcare team 4. Overall, I have time management flexibility 3. I love hearing “ You changed my life” 2. It fits my work-life balance 1. It’s a challenging and fulfilling combination!

36. “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” ---Winston Churchill

37. Regardless of the pharmacy career path you chose be sure you…enjoy the adventure and the rewards!

38. Resources and Acknowledgements • Draugalis JR, Dipiro JT, Zeolla MM, Schwinghammer TL. A carerr in academic pharmacy: opportunities, challenges and rewards. Am J Pharm Ed 2006; 70 (1). Article 17. • Acknowledgements: Stephanie Schauner, Tatum Mead, John Knell (graphics).