Number 3: Think broadly about scholarship
Traditionally, the definition of scholarship has been very narrow and usually is related to the number of publications and grants one receives. Beginning with Boyer’s work in 1990, the definition of scholarship has expanded at academic institutions beyond the concept of traditional research.5 Medical education scholarship most often is guided and judged by six core qualitative standards of excellence, known as “Glassick’s criteria”6: clear goals, adequate preparation, appropriate methods, significant results, effective presentation, and reflective critique. The key to scholarship is that it builds on or adds to the field, is made public, and thus available for peer-review.
CE projects can be categorized in many ways, but we recommend broadening the classic notions of research with which we have been indoctrinated. Golub’s7 2016 editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Looking Inward and Reflecting Back: Medical Education and Journal of the American Medical Association,” highlights the range of research questions and methodologies, which include ethics, behavioral psychology, diversity of patient care and the workforce, medical education research, quality and value of care, well-being of trainees and faculty, and health informatics. If one breaks down daily tasks, countless opportunities for scholarly projects will emerge. One need look no further for opportunities than the countless opportunities for quality improvement research that avail themselves daily, with examples ranging from reducing variation in cirrhosis care to improving adenoma detection rates. Quality improvement is an important method of scholarship for both academic and community-based physicians, which also can contribute toward Part IV of Maintenance of Certification requirements. CEs also can engage in educational scholarship other than research by using these same principles. To transform your teaching into scholarship you should examine the activities you perform or a problem that needs to be solved, apply information or a solution based on best practices or what is known from the literature, and then share the results/products with others (peer-review). Crites et al8 provide practical guidelines for developing education research questions, designing and implementing scholarly activities, and interpreting the scope and impact of education scholarship.
In addition, reaching beyond one’s department to other departments, as well as participating in educational scholarly activities on regional and national levels, is important as one’s career progresses. Well-connected and diverse networks are information highways by which one’s work can be amplified to achieve a greater impact, and from which many opportunities will be shared.
