Faculty Development Program and the Outcome of Academic Development

Ali Dabbagh; Seyyedeh Narjes Ahmadizadeh; Faranak Behnaz; Kamal Fani; Mahshid Ghasemi; Reza Goharani; Alireza Jahangirifard; Bita Malekianzadeh; Nilofar Massoudi; Elham Memary; Mohammad Reza Moshari; A. Sassan Sabouri; Sara Salaarian; Parissa Sezari

doi:10.18502/jimc.v7i3.15723

Ali Dabbagh Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Seyyedeh Narjes Ahmadizadeh Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Faranak Behnaz Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Kamal Fani Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahshid Ghasemi Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Reza Goharani Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Jahangirifard Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Bita Malekianzadeh Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Nilofar Massoudi Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Elham Memary Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Moshari Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
A. Sassan Sabouri Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
Sara Salaarian Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Parissa Sezari Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v7i3.15723

Keywords: Anesthesia, Bibliometrics, Critical care, Delphi technique, Developing countries, Formycin diphosphate, Humans, Iran, Optimism, Questionnaires, Surveys

Abstract

Background: Faculty Development Programs (FDPs) aim to improve the academic careers of faculty members. This study was designed to assess the attitudes of faculty members and the impact of FDP on their academic improvement.

Methods: 12 faculty members took part in the research from 2016 to 2019. Using a Delphi method, an open secure questionnaire was provided to 12 junior faculty members in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care (DACC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU), Tehran, Iran. Then, the keywords of the latter were analyzed, leading to a 32-item closed-answer questionnaire, filled out by the same participants. Also, the impact of the study was assessed using bibliometric improvement indices.

Results: Both the response rate and participation rate were 100%. Approximately all the participants considered FDP an advantageous and promising academic program. 65 percent of the participants had academic improvement, from “Assistant Professor” to “Associate Professor” rank. Besides, the cumulative number of citations to the participants had a 16.2 times improvement. Both latter results were significantly higher than the mean improvement of the cohort faculty members in the DACC, SBMU.

Conclusion: Faculty members of DACC, SBMU had positive attitudes towards FDP and described it as “a well-designed multilateral academic teamwork, thriving ethical, educational, managerial and research-related capacities”. Also, objective improvement in some academic indices was observed. In many academic environments including developing countries, FDPs are effective scientific investment methods.