Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;89(6):896-903.
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000251.

Perceptions of skill development of participants in three national career development programs for women faculty in academic medicine

Deborah L Helitzer  1 , Sharon L Newbill, Page S Morahan, Diane Magrane, Gina Cardinali, Chih-Chieh Wu, Shine Chang
Affiliations

Perceptions of skill development of participants in three national career development programs for women faculty in academic medicine

Deborah L Helitzer et al. Acad Med. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Drexel University College of Medicine have designed and implemented national career development programs (CDPs) to help women faculty acquire and strengthen skills needed for success in academic medicine. The authors hypothesized that skills women acquired in CDPs would vary by career stage and program attended.

Method: In 2011, the authors surveyed a national cohort of 2,779 women listed in the AAMC Faculty Roster who also attended one of three CDPs (Early- and Mid-Career Women in Medicine Seminars, and/or Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) between 1988 and 2010 to examine their characteristics and CDP experiences. Participants indicated from a list of 16 skills whether each skill was newly acquired, improved, or not improved as a result of their program participation.

Results: Of 2,537 eligible CDP women, 942 clicked on the link in an invitation e-mail, and 879 (93%) completed the survey. Respondents were representative of women faculty in academic medicine. Participants rated the CDPs highly. Almost all reported gaining and/or improving skills from the CDP. Four skills predominated across all three programs: interpersonal skills, leadership, negotiation, and networking. The skills that attendees endorsed differed by respondents' career stages, more so than by program attended.

Conclusions: Women participants perceived varying skills gained or improved from their attendance at the CDPs. Determining ways in which CDPs can support women's advancement in academic medicine requires a deeper understanding of what participants seek from CDPs and how they use program content to advance their careers.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bickel J, Wara D, Atkinson BF, et al. Increasing women’s leadership in academic medicine: Report of the AAMC Project Implementation Committee. Acad Med. 2002;77:1043–1061. - PubMed
    1. Association of American Medical Colleges. The changing demographics of full-time U.S. medical school faculty, 1966–2009. Analysis In Brief. 2011;11(8):1–2.
    1. Faculty Roster Database, FAMOUS Database, Faculty Retention and Chair Retention Reports. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges;
    1. Women in U.S. Academic Medicine: Statistics and Benchmarking Report. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges;
    1. Catalyst Quick Take: Women in Medicine. [Accessed February 26, 2014]; http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-medicine.

Publication types