Overview

Teaching and mentoring faculty are encouraged to use institutional and national tools, as well as the implementation ideas collated by the leadership of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Faculty Education Development programs, including those listed on these resource pages, to support their ongoing improvement efforts.

The Clinician Educator Milestone Resources

The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Faculty Education Development (FED) team promotes the development of faculty educator skills and competencies. A valuable resource for gauging ongoing growth is contained in the guidelines set forth in the “Clinician Educator Milestone Project.”  The milestones, developed as a collaborative initiative of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACGME), provide a common set of expectations with clearly articulated minimum standards while also setting “stretch goals.” They are intended to be used for faculty who teach medical students, residents and or fellows, including those with roles as educators, educational scholars and/or educational leaders (administrators, program directors).

The milestones, and their associated 20 self-competency areas, can be used by faculty for self-assessment and reflection on current skill level. This will ideally be paired with S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and peer and/or mentor feedback at recurrent intervals, such as annually. There are five milestones or competency areas, each with its own unique set of subcompetencies. Milestones are arranged into levels, with level 1 representing skills of a novice faculty member, up through level 5, representing skills associated with an expert educator.

Please review the following materials to explore the milestones, and use the resources provided with each milestone for ongoing learning and reflection. If desired, this Educator Milestones Project (PDF) can be accessed for reference.  Additionally, we have created fillable pdfs for each subcompetency. 

In addition to individual use by faculty, department and unit leaders are welcomed to reach out to the FED team to initiate collaborative workshop trainings for faculty in identified areas of desired professional development.

The Clinician Educator Competencies

Universal Pillars for All Clinician Educators
  • Sub-competency 1: Reflective Practice and Commitment to Personal Growth
  • Sub-competency 2: Well-Being
  • Sub-competency 3: Recognition and Mitigation of Bias
  • Sub-competency 4: Commitment to Professional Responsibilities
Educational Theory and Practice
  • Sub-competency 1: Teaching and Facilitating Learning
  • Sub-competency 2: Professionalism in the Learning Environment
  • Sub-competency 3: Learner Assessment
  • Sub-competency 4: Feedback
  • Sub-competency 5: Performance Improvement and Programmatic Evaluation
  • Sub-competency 6: Learner Professional Development
  • Sub-competency 7: Science of Learning
  • Sub-competency 8: Medical Education Scholarship
  • Sub-competency 9: Learning Environment
  • Sub-competency 10: Curriculum
Well-Being
  • Sub-competency 1: Well-Being of Learners and Colleagues
  • Sub-competency 2: Learning Environment
  • Sub-competency 3: Remediation
Administration
  • Sub-competency 1: Administration Skills
  • Sub-competency 2: Leadership Skills
  • Sub-competency 3: Change Management