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What training would I need in order to become a prof. at a medical school?
Becoming a medical school professor
- Thread starter xnfs93hy
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There are Ph.D.'s who are employed by and teach at medical schools (biochemistry Ph.D.'s, immunology Ph.D.'s, etc.). Others who teach have their MD, DO, or a dual degree. There are a few different paths to the same end, depending on what kind of teaching you would like to do.
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of what?
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The professors I had in the first two years of med school were of two models -- PhDs (in biochem, anatomy, physiology, pathology) doing research at an academic program and teaching med school classes on the side, and MD clinicians who do a little teaching on the side. For very few was being a professor their primary job. In the latter two years of med school, you learned from attendings while in their clinical setting. Suffice it to say that becoming an attending physician at an academic center who lectures to the med school on top of his clinical duties, and who teaches med students and residents on rounds is the most typical model. It's not as often going to be someone who gets hired as a "professor", it's going to be someone hired as a clinician who shows an ability to teach. In fact every physician at a teaching hospital from intern on has the duty to "teach". So generally, the fastest route to become a prof at med school is going to be to go to med school and become a good clinician who does a good job with students in the clinical setting from the resident level on, and then offers to lecture and gets increasingly added into the curriculum.
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Not sure.
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This helps a lot. All I really know for sure is that a P.hD is not required to teach at a medical school. I know of a physician who works in a clinical setting on top of teaching part time at the medical school nearby.
I did not know that most teach part-time.
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Well then you have to become a neurosurgeon first. There is no med school "class" in neurosurgery. Students, residents etc learn from neurosurgeons who practice at teaching hospitals. Not in the classroom.
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I suspect the Teaching is what's on top of his real job, and not vice versa.
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What do you mean by 'reaching'?
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Typo. "Teaching". sorry.
Iowa's med school has a teaching distinction track. I know alot of university's have some sort of research distinction but i've never heard of a teaching one until Iowa. It's prob my favorite thing about them. It sets you up to teach in med schools, being an attending or just be good with community outreach stuff. kinda nifty
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I'm not sure it "sets you up" better than simply doing a good job teaching the folks on rounds. I wouldn't go this route specifically to be a med school prof because med school prof isn't a separate job from being an attending at a teaching hospital, and it's not like med schools hire "teachers" per se, they hire attendings and get them to teach. They derive and develop their faculty from within the clinical ranks in most cases, not hire someone specifically for their teaching "credentials". Teaching simply is part of being a physician, and if you are good, they will throw you into the lecture hall. That being said, if the OP wants to "teach" neurosurg, there is no point in a teaching distinction track -- the only way to teach neurosurgery is to first become a neurosurgeon.
I'm not saying people hire you just to teach because you did the program. It supposed to help you learn to be a better teacher. Some people make great PIs or great docs but suck at teaching. It just gives you opportunities to teach during med school so maybe once it becomes time to be teach on rounds, you're already comfy with it
I think the point of a "teaching distinction" track would be to help you learn how to do a good job. It's not like everyone is born knowing how to teach; there are actual techniques and educational theories you can learn to help you develop that skill if you are interested.
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Most likely, yes.
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There is a fair amount of "on the job training" and mentoring about things such as how to write an appropriate multiple choice question (there are a lot of wrong ways as well as wrong answers 😳 ) and other methods of evaluation, curriculum development, small group dynamics, and so forth.
Most faculty are here because they have patients here or they have a research lab here. They teaching because 1) they have to -it is part of the job 2) they like it and ask to do more or 3) they are good at presenting their research orarea of expertise such that their skills as a lecturer are valued and in demand here and at invited lectures elsewhere.
So to be a professor of a medical school you get yourself an appointment at a medical school; that is bundled with a job as a clinician at a teaching hospital or as a researcher at a medical school lab (or some combination of clinical care and research).
Most faculty are here because they have patients here or they have a research lab here. They teaching because 1) they have to -it is part of the job 2) they like it and ask to do more or 3) they are good at presenting their research orarea of expertise such that their skills as a lecturer are valued and in demand here and at invited lectures elsewhere.
So to be a professor of a medical school you get yourself an appointment at a medical school; that is bundled with a job as a clinician at a teaching hospital or as a researcher at a medical school lab (or some combination of clinical care and research).
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The path to becoming an attending physician (particularly in a surgical field as the OP is suggesting) is already long enough that most folks wouldn't be amenable to a "teaching distinction" track no matter how much it helps enhance your skillset. As LizzyM suggests, for the most part folks get "on the job" training from colleagues, and a lot of learning how to teach by trial and error. The importance of teaching gets instilled in young physicians as early as the intern year, and once you get used to teaching med students you simply hone your skills over time until finally you become solid. No special training track is required; as with most things in medicine, you learn by doing. The whole "see one, do one, teach one" mantra applies to this as well as to procedures. You observe others teach as you come up the ranks, and build on that in your own teaching endeavors. That's just the way it works for the most part. no special teaching track -- you become a clinician and learn how to teach as you go. And then they throw you into the lecture hall as needs indicate. It's not like college where being a prof is your primary job, and you write papers on the side to get tenure. In medicine, being an attending is your primary job, and you lecture students on the side because it's expected of you and/or you enjoy it. You would never say, when I grow up I want to be a med school prof instead of a clinician (or, in the case of PhD, a lab researcher), because the jobs aren't really separate.
Also a req for graduating with a PhD (for those MD/PhD students) is a bit of teaching. The PhD students in my lab have to lead several lab classes in their field of research for undergrads.
I actually look forward to teaching.
I actually look forward to teaching.
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MD/Phd would be ideal, but an MD or Phd would suffice.
LizzyM is correct. Also, you are hired generally to see patients at a university hospital with with research on the side, and you do teaching as you go along. the thing is, if you want to teach then you need to do residency at a top hospital or you have to go to one to build networks and stuff. some schools like ucsf for example will give you a 80/20 split when hired as a assistant professor (or what the title may be). 80% clinical and 20% research and other stuff. other UC's generally will give you a 70/30 which is makes it easier to do research. Because in the end what moves you up from a assistant professor to associate to full is the research you produce in the time they give you. in the midst of all this you can teach.
