GUIDELINES FOR APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS FOR AFFILIATE CLINICAL FACULTY - effective January 2025
INTRODUCTION
The following establishes the rules and guidelines for the appointment and promotion of faculty who take part in the clinical education of St. George's University School of Medicine's students. Detailed explanations of each role and guidance on expectations can be found in the SGU SOM Faculty Handbook.
These guidelines have been constructed to:
1. Set standards for the level of Clinical faculty appointments that are equivalent to those of Basic Sciences faculty
2. Establish clear guidelines by which recommendations, approval and ratification of appointments are made
3. Define the various types of appointments
4. Establish clear guidance on expectations from different ranks
5. Establish criteria and process for promotions
6. Meet accreditation requirements and be equitable with current academic standards
It is expected that all physicians who have contact with SGU students during their clinical rotations will be appointed as faculty as per affiliation agreements.
Clinical faculty who, at the time of appointment hold an academic appointment at another University Medical School will be appointed with the prefix Adjunct-. Adjunct faculty appointments are made at the rank of the existing appointment.
TYPES OF APPOINTMENTS
Administrative Clinical Faculty Appointments
• Director of Medical Education (DME): appointed at each affiliated hospital, by the Administration of the affiliated hospital, and is the hospital administrator responsible for the SGU student program in the Clinical years. They serve as the liaison between the hospital and
SGUSOM. DMEs receive formal appointments to the SOM’s faculty, made by the Dean of the Medical School, that are commensurate with their qualifications and duties. DME positions are designated as Part-Time positions but do not have a prefix before their rank • Clerkship directors (CDs): appointed for each core clerkship at each affiliated hospital by the Dean of the SOM, on the recommendation of the Director of Medical Education (DME) of their respective hospital. They report to the DME and to the SOM Clinical chairs of their departments and Senior Associate Dean of clinical studies. CDs must be board certified to be appointed in the role. They oversee the clinical education of third year medical students in their respective clerkships at their respective hospital site
• Clinical Department Chairs: recommended by the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Studies and appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine, they must meet the requisites for a Full Professor. Clinical Department Chairs report to the Senior associate Dean of Clinical Studies and are responsible for ensuring that the educational goals, objectives, must-see patient list, syllabus, curriculum, curriculum mapping, and guidelines in their clinical discipline as published in the Clinical Training Manual are met and coordinates the program for this discipline in all hospitals in which it is taught
• Clinical Associate Department Chairs: recommended by the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Studies and appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine, they must meet the requisites for a Full Professor. Clinical Department Chairs report to the Senior associate Dean of Clinical Studies and are responsible for assisting the clinical department chair in their duties as required
Academic Clinical Faculty appointments
Physicians employed at SGU affiliated hospitals are appointed as faculty on recommendation from the DME and approval from the Clinical Department chair. For faculty not based at an affiliated hospital, appointments can be recommended by the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Studies and appointments are made by the Dean of the School of Medicine. Ranks are awarded based on three overarching criteria; qualifications, experience and scholarly activity. Minimum requirements for each rank are listed in the table below.
| Criteria | Rank | Instructor | Lecturer | Assistant Professor | Associate Professor | Professor |
| Qualifications | Education Requirement | MD or MBBS/MBChB | MD or MBBS/MBChB | MD or MBBS/MBChB and MSc, MPH, MBA, PhD or board certification | MD or MBBS/MBChB and MSc, MPH, MBA, PhD or board certification | MD or MBBS/MBChB and MSc, MPH, MBA, PhD or board certification |
| Board certification or UK equivalent † (e.g., MRCP) | Not required | Not required | Must be board-eligible or certified or | Required and current RCP membership or fellowship (or equivalent) | Required and current RCP fellowship or Certificate of specialty training (CCT) | |
| General Medical Council or GMDC (Grenada) certified | Not required | Required and current | Required and current | Required and current | Required and current | |
| Experience | Residency completed | Not required | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| Scholarly activity | Publications in peer-reviewed, non-predatory journals | Not required | Not required | At least one (1) first or last author (as corresponding) publication* | >1 First or last author (as corresponding) Or ≥ 5 total | >5 First or last author (as corresponding) Or ≥ 15 total |
| Membership in professional societies | Not required | Desired | Membership Required | Membership required and evidence of active participation in committees | Membership required and evidence of active participation in committees for > 2 years | |
| International conference attendance and presentations | Not required | Not required | Have presented research at a conference not associated with the hospital | Have presented research >1 project at a conference not associated with the hospital | Have presented research >2 projects at a conference not associated with the hospital | |
| Renewable? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Footnote: † Board certification replaces the need for both postgraduate degree and 1st author publication requirement for appointment at Assistant Professor rank.
* 1st author publication requirement waived if board certified
The rank of instructor is designated for interns and senior residents and is not renewable past 1 year. Reappointment for individuals at these ranks are made by request from the DME and approved on an individual basis.
APPOINTMENT PROCESS
The appointment process is outlined below:
- Applications are made by the DME or MEC of the hospital to the Office of Faculty Affairs by sending an email to officeoffacaffairs@sgu.edu
- The DME fills out the application form and returns it with the full current Curriculum Vitae of the faculty to be appointed
- The Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs reviews the application and ensures the requested rank is appropriate
- The application is then forwarded to the Chair of the Department in which the faculty is to be appointed for approval
- For faculty appointed as CD’s the form is forwarded to the Associate Dean of Clinical Studies for approval, all other appointments are finalized after approval from the department chair
- The appointment is made by the Dean of the Medical School
Appointments are made initially for one year, or until the SGUSOM faculty renewal cycle date (July 1st), whichever comes first. Renewal of appointments are made annually and is done to ensure the capturing of data necessary for accreditation purposes.
QUARTERLY FACULTY LISTING CHECKS
The SGU SOM Office of Faculty Affairs will send the recorded list of faculty to the DME at each affiliated site every 3 months to ensure accuracy of faculty listed and check for any changes in faculty status.
RENEWAL PROCESS
The SGU SOM Office of Faculty Affairs will send renewals to eligible faculty on July 1st of every year. Faculty will be required to respond by completing a Teams form indicating any accomplishments made in the major employment categories. This information is necessary for quality assurance purposes. Completion of the form will be considered acceptance of the appointment renewal.
PROMOTIONS
The promotions process and requirements are outlined in the SGU SOM faculty handbook and is coordinated through the SGU Senate. The call for applications is sent twice yearly.