Targeted Faculty Development and Program Administration Based on Subjective Structural Analysis of Academic Physician Needs

Fiscal changes in the health care environment have placed increasing pressures on 21st century academic physicians. This situation has made it increasingly difficult for academic chairs and administrators to assess the multiple needs of academic clinician-educators. This study reports the use of Q methodology to assess emergency medicine physicians' faculty development needs. Among the physicians, three distinct viewpoints concerning clinician-educator needs emerged: physicians in search of workload balance, those happy with the status quo, and those in search of cohesive community. Needs common to multiple viewpoints were also identified. These findings helped the investigators create specific targeted strategies that took into account both individual and group needs. The structured approach to subjectivity, ad key feature of Q method, can assist academic decision-makers to identify and fulfill the needs of their faculty physicians in a more democratic and efficacious manner.