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How the distinctive cultures of osteopathic and allopathic medical schools affect the careers, perceptions, and institutional efforts of their anatomy faculties: A qualitative case study of two schools
Author(s) -
Byram Jessica,
Traser Courtney,
Arbor Tafline,
Brokaw James
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.784.3
Subject(s) - osteopathic medicine in the united states , autonomy , medical education , allopathic medicine , osteopathy , institution , medicine , psychology , sociology , alternative medicine , political science , social science , pathology , law
Recent years have witnessed major curricular changes that pose significant challenges to anatomy faculty members’ job satisfaction and sense of autonomy at both allopathic and osteopathic medical institutions. This case study examined anatomy faculty perceptions at two philosophically distinct medical schools to assess how different institutional characteristics and curricular change have impacted anatomy faculty members’ teaching responsibilities and research, as well as their sense of autonomy and overall career satisfaction. Semi‐structured interviews of teaching‐ and research‐focused anatomy faculty from a large, well‐established allopathic medical school (Indiana University School of Medicine, n = 5) and a small, new osteopathic medical school (Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, n = 4) were explored using qualitative thematic analysis. The results demonstrated that anatomists teaching at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools had more similarities than differences, particularly in their commitment to teaching. Most of the differences between the two faculties were unrelated to the philosophical orientation of the institution (i.e., allopathy vs. osteopathy). Rather, differences were predominately shaped by the size and history of the institution, the school's promotion and tenure guidelines, and the perceived degree of faculty autonomy. Furthermore, the anatomists’ personal educational philosophies and research agendas had a greater impact on their global satisfaction and instructional strategies than did the philosophical orientation of their institution. These findings accentuate the similarities amongst anatomy faculty members at allopathic and osteopathic institutions. We advocate for a sharing of educational resources and research collaborations to improve anatomy education and faculty development between institutions.