Emergency Medicine, Office of Education, Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota

November 2002: Approved

I. Introductory Statement
This document describes the specific criteria and standards which will be used to evaluate whether candidates meet the general criteria in Section 7.11 of the Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure.  For a complete perspective, the reader is advised to review section 7 in its entirety.  Section 7.11 is printed in its entirety in III. Criteria for Tenure (see below).

The criteria, standards and procedures are applied without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, handicap, age, veteran status or sexual orientation.

II. Mission Statement
The mission of the Medical School is to conduct high quality programs of research, education, and service through which the college contributes significantly to the provision of excellent health care for the people of Minnesota.

The missions of the Department of Emergency Medicine include participation in and the development of excellence in teaching, research and service.  The primary academic missions are teaching, research and service, described as follows:

Teaching
Teaching responsibilities include primary emphasis on the educational programs for University of Minnesota medical students, post-M.D. trainees (residents and fellows) in Emergency Medicine and related fields, and practitioners in Emergency Medicine.  Educational programs for health professional students in other units (such as nursing and pharmacy), residents in non-emergency medicine fields (such as primary care disciplines), and non-emergency medicine practitioners are also provided.

Research
Research responsibilities include the development of study protocols, grant acquisition, and presentation and publication of results in clinical or basic science endeavors.

Service
Service responsibilities include patient-related services in general Emergency Medicine and the various emergency medicine subspecialties as well as the provision of administrative services through intramural and extramural activities of committees, task forces, boards, editorial boards and other similar settings.

Some faculty members may concentrate on one or two of the three major missions
(teaching/research/service) but the entire faculty must participate in all three of these functions.

III. Criteria for Tenure
Section 7.11 of the Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure states: "General Criteria.  The basis for awarding indefinite tenure is the determination that the achievements of an individual have demonstrated the individual’s potential to continue to contribute significantly to the mission of the University and to its programs of teaching, research and service over the course of the faculty member’s academic career.  The primary criteria for demonstrating this potential are effectiveness in teaching and professional distinction in research; outstanding discipline-related service contributions will also be taken into account where they are an integral part of the mission of the academic unit.  The relative importance of the criteria may vary in different academic units, but each of the criteria must be considered in every decision.

The individual’s participation in the governance of the institution and other services to the University and service to the academic unit will be taken into consideration, but are not in themselves bases for awarding tenure.

This level of achievements is also expected from those departmental faculty who, by virtue of funding from non-university sources such as affiliates, contracts, etc.  Clinical scholar criteria are available at website:  www.med.umn.edu/main/facinfo/instrutins/clinscholar.html.

Indefinite tenure may be granted at any time when the candidate has satisfied the requirements.  A probationary appointment must be terminated when the appointee fails to satisfy the criteria in the last year of probationary service and may be terminated earlier if it appears that the appointee is not making satisfactory progress toward meeting the criteria within that period."

Standards for Tenure:  Department of Emergency Medicine
The Department in Emergency Medicine accepts and subscribes to the statement on Criteria and Standards for Tenure of Faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School, with the following standards specific to the department.

A. Teaching
Teaching activities may occur in a variety of educational settings and formats, including: didactic presentations, lectures, seminars, conferences, tutorials, laboratories, advising of students, case discussions, grand rounds, hospital and clinic rounds, patient care, surgical and other procedures, continuing education.

The following are educational activities in which competence and accomplishments in teaching can be demonstrated:

1. Participation and competence in teaching undergraduate (pre-baccalaureate) students.
2. Participation and competence in teaching professional students, including students in the M.D. curriculum, or other professional educational programs.
3. Service and distinction as a faculty adviser to post-M.D. residents (Medical Fellow Specialists or Medical Fellows), post-residency clinical fellows, or advanced degree candidates in medical disciplines, interdisciplinary programs or collaborative research programs.
4. Service as a faculty mentor or adviser to students in any of the above categories, including medical students in the clinical courses of the M.D. curriculum.
5. Service as a faculty mentor to students in any of the above categories who engage in research activities in the department.
6. Participation and competence in teaching of health professional students in other units, such as, but not limited to, nursing and pharmacy, emergency baccalaureate, paramedic, emergency medical technician.
7. Participation and competence in teaching practicing physicians though participation in intramural and extramural continuing educational programs.

B. Research/Scholarship
Scholarly activities of a faculty member will be evaluated according to the following standards:

1. Scientific Publications
Scientific articles reporting quality biomedical research should be published in appropriate peer-reviewed journals related to the discipline(s) of medicine.

Peer reviewed journals that are recognized as outstanding and appropriate to the discipline include, but are not necessarily limited to:

- Academic Emergency Medicine
- American Journal of Emergency Medicine
- Annals of Emergency Medicine
- Journal of Emergency Medicine
- Journal of Toxicology
- Journal of Trauma
- Resuscitation

2. External Research Funding
A candidate should be the recipient of a grant(s) or contract(s) by designation as Principle Investigator, a major collaborator, or other similar title, from a national or regional granting agency which customarily utilizes scientific peer review as the primary basis for awards.  Examples of granting agencies include, but are not necessarily limited to:

- Institute of Health, Public Health Service, or other similar federal agency
- American Heart Association, a unit or affiliate
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Department of Defense
- Emergency Medicine Foundation
- EMS for Children
- The Hartford Foundation
- Josiah H. Macy Junior Foundation
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

3. Publications in Monograms, Reviews and Other Books
Publications though these modalities are part of the scholarly activities of a faculty member, but can not be considered as the sole basis for tenure.

4. Invited Participation in Symposia, Meetings and Seminars
Faculty members should be invited by national and international scientific organizations to participate in symposia and meetings and should be invited to give seminars before peers in other institutions both nationally and internationally.  However, this cannot be used as sole criterion for tenure.

C. Service

1. Service as an Editor or a Member of the Editorial Board of a Reputable Journal or Monograph in a Biomedical Discipline
Examples of appropriate journals include, but are not necessarily limited to those listed in B.1. above.

2. Service as an Officer, Board Member of a national scientific or professional organization of the specialty or a subspecialty
Service, although not a primary criterion for tenure, will be taken into consideration in making decisions on tenure.  Performance of service, however exemplary, cannot substitute for the primary criteria, research and teaching.

IV. Promotion
Standards for Promotion: Department of Emergency Medicine

A. To Assistant Professor
For recommendation for promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor, the candidate should have demonstrated ability in teaching and research.  Although independent research will not always be evident, the individual should have demonstrated involvement in high quality research which has been accepted for publication or is published in peer-reviewed national journals.  There should be documentation of competence and growth in the candidates skills of communication, including effective communication in teaching students and in oral and written presentations of research.

B. To Associate Professor
The criteria and standards for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor are those stated for consideration of tenure (see III above).

A recommendation for promotion to Associate Professor is made when an eligible faculty member has fulfilled the general criteria applicable to tenure, as stated in Section 7.11, and the specific criteria and standards for promotion to Associate Professor (same standards as for tenure) as stated by the Medical School and the Department.

C. To Professor
A recommendation for promotion to Professor is made when an Associate Professor has fulfilled the criteria and standards for the rank of Professor as stated by the Medical School and the Department.  The proposal of a candidate for Professor will also present evidence of additional academic, scientific, scholarly and professional achievements since the previous promotion, such as:

1. The establishment of a training program for pre- and/or postdoctoral fellows in a specific discipline.
2. Election to prestigious scientific and/or professional organizations which recognize excellence and significant academic contributions.
3. Letters from authorities attesting to the candidate’s acknowledged national and international reputation and recognition of leadership in his/her field; letters from prominent, senior faculty members at other universities assessing the candidate’s qualifications for promotion to the rank of Professor.

V. Procedures
In considering proposals for tenure and/or promotion in rank, the Medical School and its Departments comply with the procedures described in the document, "Procedures for Reviewing Performance of Probationary Faculty", distributed annually by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  These procedures are provided for by Sections 16.3, 7.4, and 7.61 of the Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure.

The Medical School issues annually to each department, for distribution and information to faculty members, a set of instructions, memoranda, and other documents, giving detailed information on the procedures to be followed in the preparation and consideration of each proposal for tenure and/or promotion in rank.  The pertinent documents are identified as exhibits enclosed with a cover memorandum from the Dean and are available at www.ahc.umn.edu/Promotion&Tenure.