Career development needs of vice chairs for education in departments of surgery

Aim: To identify the career development needs Vice Chair for Education in Surgery Departments (VCESDs). Methods: In all, 33 VCESDs were invited to complete an online survey to identify the scope of duties, scholarly activity, job satisfaction, and career development needs. Results: A total of 29/33 (88%) VCESDs responded. Time constraints were the most frequent impediment for MDs vs. PhDs (p < 0.05). Dominant faculty development needs were conducting educational research (2.0 ± 0.78 for MDs, 1.33 ± 0.76 for PhDs), developing resident selection systems (1.68 ± 0.73), and mentorship programs (1.95 ± 0.77) for MDs, and developing teach the teacher programs (1 ± 0), and program performance evaluation systems (1.33 ± 0.76) for PhDs. The skills deemed to be of greatest importance were ability to communicate effectively (1.27 ± 0.55), resolve personnel conflicts (1.32 ± 0.57), and introduce change (1.41 ± 0.59). PhDs revealed a greater need to learn strategies for dealing with disruptive faculty (1.0 ± 0 vs 2.15 ± 0.87). Conclusions: This information will inform the future career development of VCESDs and will assist Department Chairs who wish to recruit and retain VCESDs.