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Should dental school faculty be measured and compensated using academic productivity models? Two viewpoints
Author(s) -
Hoskin Eileen R.,
Bertone Mary,
Chun YongHee Patricia,
Lee Alexander L.,
Motahari Mindy Z.,
Martin Amy B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/jdd.12051
Subject(s) - attrition , operationalization , compensation (psychology) , viewpoints , productivity , subjectivity , medical education , higher education , psychology , faculty development , medicine , professional development , political science , social psychology , dentistry , economics , art , philosophy , epistemology , law , visual arts , macroeconomics
Operationalizing faculty contributions in ways that align with organizational mission can be difficult, particularly when monetizing effort. Conventional compensation methods may result in faculty effort going undefined, resulting in more subjectivity in recognition and compensation. Inequities lead to faculty marginalization, fragmentation, decreased motivation, and attrition. Dental faculty retirements are expected to increase, as 81% of men and 19% of women faculty aged 60 years and older in 2015–2016. We present opposing perspectives on the use of educational value units (EVUs) in academic dentistry. The first viewpoint articulates that such models improve recruitment and retention by objectifying (a) faculty performance measurement, (b) academic productivity improvements, and (c) compensation determination. The counterpoint suggests EVUs are deterrents to faculty retention due to challenges with objectively quantifying performance measures, a potential inherent bias linked to gender, and the undervaluing of teaching quality or collaborative practices.