Abstract

Evaluation of faculty development programs for medical educators has often focused on the satisfaction of individual learners. Long-term outcomes of skills and knowledge acquired during faculty development programs have been more difficult to evaluate. The impact on the institutions where the "developed" faculty teaches has been even less studied. This article discusses the results of a survey that focused on the institutional impact of a year-long part-time faculty development fellowship program for community-based physician faculty. The Statewide Campus System of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SCS MSU-COM) faculty development program conducted a survey of its graduates to ascertain the impact on the educational processes in their home institutions and the impact of the program on the graduates as medical educators. Responding graduates reported increased use of educational concepts and greater participation in the educational activities of their home institutions. The study demonstrates that a faculty development program addressing the needs of community-based physician faculty changes the perceptions of participants as medical educators and appears to have a positive impact on the educational process in their home institutions.