Clinical Faculty Line

Ranks

  • Clinical Instructor
  • Clinical Assistant Professor
  • Clinical Associate Professor
  • Clinical Professor

To help fulfill its academic mission to train the next generation of physicians, scientists, and health care providers, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and our affiliated partners in our academic medical system (e.g., D-H and the WRJVAMC) depend on the committed participation of community-based physicians and other advanced clinicians. In most cases, clinical titles are provided to individuals who are employees of community-based practices or affiliated institutions of Geisel and its primary clinical partners who make contributions to the clinical educational programs and/or clinical research missions of medical center by precepting medical students, residents and or fellows. Individuals appointed to the Clinical Faculty Line may hold a doctoral level degree (e.g., MD, PhD, DVM, DO, or equivalent) or non-doctoral degree (e.g., APRN, PA, RNA, MSW, or BSN).

Individuals appointed in the Clinical Faculty Line shall identify their positions as being in this line in all instances, and the qualifier “Clinical” must be used on external documents, internal documents, and personal business cards (e.g., Jane Doe, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery).

Clinical Faculty Line appointments will be provided to individuals whose primary responsibilities are to train learners in the fields of medicine (medical students, residents, and fellows). Faculty appointments in this line will be provided to:

  1. Clinical practitioners (physicians or associate providers) who meet the requirements with respect to academic qualifications and who are responsible for providing formal evaluations in required courses and clerkships which contribute to a UME student’s grade. The LCME elements dictate that these individuals must hold a faculty appointment;
  2. Clinical practitioners who meet the requirements with respect to academic qualification and who are responsible for providing formal evaluations in required rotations that contribute in required programs for resident and fellow training;
  3. Individuals who meet academic requirements for rank may be provided with a faculty appointment in the Clinical Faculty Line if they contribute more than 20 contact hours to an approved (but not necessarily required, e.g., elective) academic course or program at Geisel or participate in other documented academic missions of the medical school;
  4. The Chair of the department may petition the Dean for an exemption to this minimum requirement for individuals who have fewer than 20 contact hours in a non-required course or who are providing instruction in a non-evaluative role in a required course.

Community-based preceptors, On-doctoring facilitators, and other individuals who are engaged in UME and GME educational programs and who do not hold primary clinical responsibilities at the Academic Medical Center (i.e., at D-H Lebanon or the White River Junction VAMC) may be appointed in the Clinical Faculty Line. All new candidates for Clinical Faculty Line appointments will be directed by course coordinators/directors to fill out an online appointment application, which should define the expected contributions supporting the requests for appointment.

All faculty members in the Clinical Faculty Line will receive a letter of appointment from the Dean informing them of their title and effective dates.  This letter also outlines the privileges afforded to faculty members and the policies for which they are required to observe.  Clinical faculty member must return a signed copy to our office.

With respect to the intersection of clinical care and engagement in the undergraduate medical education (UME) program, faculty members who provide health services, including psychiatric/psychological counseling, to medical students must ensure they have no involvement in the academic assessment or promotion of the medical student receiving those services unless otherwise reviewed and approved by the Dean of Faculty and the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education. It is the obligation of faculty members to be aware of this restriction and to recuse themselves from involvement in academic assessment or promotion of any student or their academic work should such conflicts arise.  In these cases, the faculty member must contact the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education and their Department Chair so that these leaders may identify an appropriate alternate faculty member to take on the academic responsibilities for that student.

Promotion:

There are no required/standard time periods for advancement in the Clinical Faculty Line, although Chairs are encouraged to work with their faculty in this line to promote academic advancement along a trajectory that parallels that for the AMS Faculty Line.

As with initial appointments and reappointments, individuals promoted in the Clinical Faculty Line shall be expected to demonstrate a substantive and sustained contribution to a required component of training for students, fellows, residents, or associate provider students (e.g., nursing or PA students at DHMC), to research efforts, or through substantive leadership contributions.

Individuals appointed to the rank of Clinical Instructor may be promoted in this line.

Promotion to the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor shall be advanced by the Chair to the Dean of Faculty Affairs based on demonstrated excellence in teaching and/or scholarly endeavors in that realm. Recommendation for promotion shall be based on attainment of some (not necessarily all) of the metrics below. Recommendation may also be made on the basis of other metrics not listed below (i.e., it is not mandatory to meet all of these metrics nor is this list all-inclusive of achievements that may be considered when recommending promotion).

    • A commitment to provide high quality instruction or service to UME education at Geisel and GME/CME education at DH. Examples: precepting one “On Doctoring” student in clinic per year, taking one clerkship student in clinic for one month, or leading an On Doctoring small group at > 20 hrs. of net teaching per year; training;
    • Recognition by peers and students for excellence in teaching and training, as made evident by student assessments and awards;
    • Recognition that the faculty member serves as a role model, advisor, or mentor to multiple students throughout their years at Geisel (e.g., On Doctoring through Year 4 Electives);
    • Membership on major Geisel committees, such as the Geisel Diversity Council or the Medical Education Committee;
    • Participation in the development and implementation of new courses, electives or curricular content, or important teaching materials;
    • Leadership of or major participation in design of courses, and/or participation therein;
    • Leadership of or major participation in programs to improve/lead clinical practice;
    • Participation in local, regional, or national educational meetings and regular invitations to serve as an outside speaker;
    • Participation as a speaker in CME and other faculty development activities;
    • Demonstration of an ongoing commitment toward improving teaching skills (e.g., professional societies’ faculty development workshops or workshops through the Dartmouth Center for Advancement of Learning, (DCAL).
    • Scholarship, either through conventional peer-reviewed publications or dissemination of academic work through other media;
    • Engagement in public activities, policy-making bodies etc., at the local, regional, or national level that advance missions of the individual’s profession and the Medical School;
    • Promotion at another academic institution at which the individual holds a regular faculty appointment.

Recommendation for promotion to Clinical Associate Professor shall be advanced by the Chair to the Dean of Faculty Affairs based on criteria consistent with this rank as outlined below. As with advancement to Clinical Assistant Professor, promotion to Clinical Associate Professor shall be based on attainment of some (not necessarily all) of these criteria, and factors other than those listed here may be considered in the promotions process:

  • Service as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Geisel, or an equivalent institution for five to seven years, with a consistent record of excellence and participation in teaching (Note: As with voting Geisel appointments, continued service and performance at the rank of Assistant Professor shall not, in itself, constitute grounds for promotion to Clinical Associate Professor);
  • Evidence of continued excellence in teaching, with demonstrably greater responsibility for teaching, development of curricula or syllabi, and/or course leadership;
  • Demonstration of an ongoing commitment to improving teaching skills (e.g., through The Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, DCAL) or through conferences and online training;
  • Active and ongoing participation in Geisel educational committees and activities, such as active membership on the Medical Education Committee, or being a presenter in Geisel faculty development activities;
  • Active and ongoing participation in clinical research, as evidenced by the academic portfolio, external funding of competitive peer-reviewed research or education projects, and manuscript development at a level appropriate for involvement;
  • Active involvement in the leadership and oversight of the clinical missions at one of the major clinical partners of Geisel (D-H, WRJ-VAMC; CPMC);
  • Substantive professional recognition, as evidenced by some of the following: elected membership in local, regional, and national medical societies; recognition through formal awards; local and regional invited lectures; participation in symposia, professional society programs, etc.;
  • Peer-reviewed publications or dissemination of scholarly work through other media.

Promotion to the rank of Clinical Professor will be granted only in recognition of exemplary and distinctive achievement. Criteria for this title may include:

    • Service as a Clinical Associate Professor at Geisel, or an equivalent institution, typically for at least five years, with a consistent record of outstanding performance in teaching, and usually investigation as well. Continued service and performance at the rank of Clinical Associate Professor shall not, in itself, constitute grounds for promotion to Clinical Professor.
    • Continued substantial involvement in teaching (>20 net teaching hours per year, vide supra), with strong evidence of sustained excellence as evidenced by formal evaluations and awards;
    • Continued contribution and leadership in development of curricula or syllabi for students or preceptors, and/or course and educational committee leadership.
    • Continued publication of important and innovative clinical/educational studies in peer-reviewed journals;
    • Recognition by peers as a premier physician/provider who is advancing the training/performance of other practitioners through their clinical work;
    • Continued productive participation in investigation, as evidenced by a contributing role to sustained external funding of competitive peer-reviewed research projects;
    • Recognition for leadership and outstanding performance as an administrator whose activities advance the academic missions of the medical center;
    • Promotion at another academic institution at which the individual holds a regular faculty appointment.
    • Authorship or editorship of textbooks, monographs, or journals;
    • Membership on editorial boards, study review sections, and/or advisory groups;
    • Elected leadership and membership in local, regional, and national medical societies;
    • Distinctive national recognition, as evidenced by invited memberships, participation in major committees and programs, formal awards, and major invited lectures;
    • National recognition, as evidenced by awards or participation in regional/national symposia, courses, and teaching programs;
    • Directorship or development of major courses or other curricular offerings and/or development of significant new teaching materials;
    • Exceptional leadership or administrative performance, as evidenced by major roles in local or regional clinical affairs or national professional organizations, and by active and ongoing participation in committee, program, and/or governing boards;
    • Distinctive advances in teaching skills (e.g., through The Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning; DCAL) or through conferences and online opportunities.

Although expectations for scholarship are not essential in this line, whether academic endeavors are characterized as team-based or not, it is the expectation that faculty and their mentors follow the precepts and guidelines of the ICMJE in terms of defining authorship (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html). In particular, faculty and those that mentor them need to adhere to 4 criteria recommended by the ICMJE.

Termination of Faculty Titles:

Faculty appointments shall terminate effective of the end of the appointment date, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the Dean of Geisel School of Medicine or terminated for cause. Sponsoring departments must submit termination of title paperwork to the Dean's Office for faculty members in the Clinical Faculty Line at the time their service to Geisel ends.