VCOM Faculty Handbook

Clinical track faculty are those faculty who teach under a contractual services agreement with VCOM, rather than an employment contract, and who teach VCOM students in the clinical setting only. While these faculty provide dedicated time to the teaching of VCOM students, their primary duties are clinical practice for the clinical employer. Instead of an employment contract, these faculty generally hold: • A contractual agreement for teaching services between the faculty member and VCOM; whereby, the faculty member is paid according to teaching time or services performed in the clinical setting on an annual basis (paid for services provided); or • A contractual agreement with a VCOM affiliated academic health center or medical group that teaches VCOM students in the clinical setting while working for the employer, where the agreement outlines that VCOM must pay the clinical entity for the faculty member’s duties and the faculty member is to be paid by the employer. The candidate will be required to accept the position and return the signed Preceptor Agreement within two weeks of receiving the contract so not to lose additional applicants.

The candidate will also receive new faculty information to assist with onboarding.

Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure

The Appointment, Promotion and Tenure (APT) process is a vital part of VCOM’s goal of fostering professional growth among our faculty. The APT policy and procedures assure that all teaching faculty have the appropriate credentials, and that all faculty are recognized for their contributions in the areas of teaching, research and scholarly activity, and service. VCOM faculty members must be qualified through their education, training, experience, and continuing professional development and provide the leadership and support necessary to attain the institution's educational, research, and service goals. Through the APT process, VCOM ensures that all faculty who teach, supervise, and/or assess students are adequately prepared for those responsibilities. VCOM academically credentials and/or approves all faculty.

Faculty Track Classifications

The faculty will be divided into the following classifications:

Academic Track Faculty, Full-Time Full-time academic track faculty may be biomedical, clinical, or research faculty employed by VCOM. All full time academic track faculty are responsible for teaching, research and scholarly activity, and service. The full-time academic track faculty member must meet the minimum requirement of 1,400 hours of their primary job duties being dedicated to education or research administration, VCOM student and/or resident education, research and scholarly activity, and to college or professional service. Full-time academic faculty fall in to two categories: 1. Full-time faculty who are directly employed by VCOM for 32 hours or greater per week; or 2. Full-time faculty who are directly employed by VCOM for academic duties less than 32 hours per week but who are employed by a VCOM affiliated research center or VCOM affiliated academic health center/practice and who are engaged in teaching, research and scholarly activity, and/or service for the remaining hours that bring the total time participating in teaching, research and scholarly activity, and service (including clinical service) to greater than 32 hours per week.

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