Faculty health: A new field of inquiry and programming

As of this writing, the subject Faculty Health does not even appear as a topic in Medline. The components are there (burnout, depression, impairment, etc.), but they have not been brought together under one rubric. Hence, this book is an initial step toward defining Faculty Health as a field of inquiry, programming, and practice. Here, the boundaries of the field have been drawn around the following areas: epidemiology; impairment; psychological issues; gender and generation; racial/ethnic diversity; organizational culture; the faculty life cycle; methods of research and measurement; the ethics of self-care; the humanities as ways of knowing and enhancing; medicine as a calling; and program development. Theories of and methods for measurement have not been fully developed, but some of the needed measurements concern all of the areas listed above. In addition, we need to assess: The institutions' support for faculty health programs The effectiveness of programs The institutions' support for diverse populations Stressors particular to various racial/ethnic, gender, and generational groups The distinctive culture of each medical center As for programming, prevention needs more prominence in the general discussion. Until recently, the programming that existed relevant to faculty health had its strongest focus on intervening for clinicians in situations of impairment. Several shortcomings are worth noting. First, the AMA definition of impairment cited earlierin Chapter 3 shows a split between the approaches to mental and physical health. Integrating these services under Faculty Health would model what the health care system should be in American society as a whole. Second, impairment is the endpoint on a continuum of declining efficacy of function and should be addressed before the endpoint is reached. Third, little is available for scientificulty and yet they are also at risk. Especially so are those researchers who may work in relative isolation without ready support and assessment from their associates, and those who are largely dependent on raising their own salaries and research funds.