February 28, 2012

Can you believe that February is almost gone and the ground hog has emerged from its hole and seen its shadow?  Unfortunately I think that means we are supposed to have six more weeks of winter but at least in Central Florida, the season has been mild.

The UCF College of Medicine is progressing and in 15 months, — on May 17, 2013– we will celebrate our first graduating class. Between now and then, many things are happening.  The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) process is kicking up again. We’re preparing for the committee’s site visit, scheduled for next October, to review our progress in preparation for the recommendation for full accreditation. The LCME requires that faculty members with responsibility for the education of our M.D. students fully understand the objectives of the program.  Program objectives are measurable statements that identify the skills, behaviors and attitudes that students must achieve by the time they graduate. The program objectives encompass medical knowledge, patient care, systems-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, ethics and professionalism, and interpersonal and communication skills.  You will find a detailed list of program objectives at http://www.med.ucf.edu/academics/md-program/program-objectives/.

Another LCME requirement is that faculty members be informed about policies concerning interactions with students.  One relates to faculty/student expectations in the educational program (Faculty/Medical Learner Compact). Others outline prohibited behaviors in dealing with students. College of Medicine policies prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, parental status or veteran status. The policies also outlaw sexual harassment and any other mistreatment or abuse of students. Students may report any incident of such behaviors to any member of the faculty, staff or administration who, in turn, must notify the Associate Dean for Students.   Further information on these policies is located under faculty development on the website, as well as in the student handbook, located at http://www.med.ucf.edu/administrative-offices/student-affairs/student-services/student-resources/.

I am most appreciative of the work our affiliated and volunteer faculty members have done in conjunction with our regular faculty to develop our educational program and module/clerkship objectives. This process has required a tremendous amount of time on everyone’s part, but it is vitally important in properly training our students to be the health leaders of tomorrow. And as we approach the graduation of our charter class – and a decision on full accreditation — I want to thank you for your efforts.

One of the ways faculty members are rewarded for their dedicated efforts is by promotion.  In the past two years, four affiliated or volunteer faculty have been recommended for and received promotions.  Several of you have asked questions about promotion so I wanted to make you aware of the criteria and process we use. These are described in detail in the Handbook, which is on our website at https://med.ucf.edu/faculty-and-academic-affairs/affiliated-and-volunteer-faculty/.

The first step in the process is that a recommendation for promotion is formulated in August/September.  The promotion packet must include a current CV, three letters of recommendation and a letter from me indicating the involvement of the faculty member in our educational program.  This information is reviewed by the College of Medicine’s Promotion and Tenure Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Dean, who makes a promotion decision. Documentation is then forwarded to the Provost’s office for final approval and a letter acknowledging the promotion sent in late spring with the promotion effective in July of that year.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions about the promotion process.

As we move forward and prepare for future milestones, I thank you again for all of your efforts in helping our students and making the educational program the best it can be.  March madness is about to begin and here’s hoping that all of our teams advance in the pairings.

Best regards,
Dick “PEP” Peppler, Ph.D