Mentors, Colleagues, and Successful Health Science Faculty: Lessons from the Field

Faculty members in medical and other professional schoolsare required to be fully functional soon after they beginemployment. Regardless of their experience, they areexpected to be productive in several areas related to clinicalservice and teaching. Most new faculty members are alsoexpected to engage in some form of research and to performleadership functions for their divisions, clinics, depart-ments, schools, and communities. These faculty roles andfunctions require significant skill levels that are expected tobe part of the new faculty member’s preparation.However, to be successful, new faculty also need tounderstand the social skills of their institution and theiracademic field. These skills involve much more than beingsociable. They include managing one’s career, finding andretaining productive colleagues, and understanding thenorms and values of academic medicine.