The Transition From Expert Clinician to Novice Academician: The First Three Years

Similar to Murray, Stanley and Wright (2017), this naturalistic grounded theory research explores and analyzes the experiences of expert clinicians as they transition into academia, identifying facilitators for successful transitions, and informing educational institutions to effectively recruit and retain full time faculty members. It may also help clinicians make knowledgeable decisions while considering a switch.

Randomly selected batches of invitations (n=427 total) from a pool of 1000 AOTA mailing labels were sent twice monthly until 12 respondents were identified. Six respondents did not fit the inclusion criteria; two did not respond to follow up emails. Four new faculty known to the researcher were invited. A total of eight participants were used (100% female, 13-30+ years of clinical experience). All had taken full-time faculty positions within the past three years of the interview.

Semi-structured interviews (12 transcripts; 13 hours, 25 minutes) were audiotaped, transcribed, reviewed and coded by two independent student researchers for accuracy. Six participant checks were performed. Four researchers identified categories and themes.

In our research, three themes emerged: self, person and place. A meta-theme, cultural fit, emerged. The first theme, self, refers to the personal aspects of each individual clinician transitioning into academia. Common topics mentioned throughout the interviews related directly to self, such as individual personality, time management skills, personal motivation, knowledge, and educational experiences. Personal motivation, specifically the desire to ‘give back’ in some way to the profession, was a common topic mentioned in each interview.

The second theme, people, emerged. This referred to the other people present during the transition process, and included co-workers, mentors, family members, and students. The participants mentioned the people in their lives that either helped or hindered the ease or success of their transitions. The importance of having a mentor during the transition was a consistent common topic mentioned during each interview.

Place, the third theme identified, refers to the physical space of the academic institution, institutional policies, salary and benefits, level of privacy, and schedule flexibility.

Cultural Fit was identified as a meta-theme. Cultural fit is defined as the relationship between the behavioral expectations of the academic setting and the personal mix of themes that novice academicians utilize, which leads to ease of the transition.

Self, people, and place have reciprocal relationships with one another; when a change occurs in one, an effect is felt in the other two. These three aspects of self, people, and place have a direct impact on the personal experiences of each participant’s transition. When there is a good match, or cultural fit between the person, the environment, and the people around them, an easy or successful transition occurs.

The dynamics of the relationship of self, people, and place directly affect the personal experiences of each participant’s transition. When a good match occurs between the person, the environment, and the people around the new faculty member, a positive cultural fit results. This is illustrated by a model, and supported by the work of (Levy, Koppula and Brown, 2018). This may impact the development of effective institutional policies and may encourage clinicians to try academia. Improved satisfaction leads to retention. As the OT profession moves to an entry-level doctorate, the demand for more experienced educators, and those with doctoral degrees, will increase. Additionally, health care changes may prompt expert clinicians to consider transitioning from clinic to classroom.

References

Levy, M., Koppula, S., & Brown, J. (2018). Transitioning to academia: Exploring the experience of new family medicine faculty members at the beginning of their academic careers. Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien, 64(12), 907-913.

Murray, C., Stanley, M., & Wright, S. (2014). Weighing up the commitment: A grounded theory of the transition from occupational therapy clinician to academic. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 61(6), 437-445. doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12146