Medical Education Manager: A Title Worthy of the Description

At a national meeting, an informal conversation took place between a group of medical education coordinators/administrators who reviewed and identified requisite skills needed for their vocation. Upon conclusion, it became evident that the profession was undervalued. It was also determined that retention and sustainability in this position is becoming transitory and that the need to raise awareness and construct a professional identity is crucial. A nation-wide review of 30 institutions, literature searches, and national surveys revealed the need to construct a professional identity and tools for career growth. A focus group of medical education coordinators/administrators were tasked with the goal of creating a publication to encourage recognition and validity of this profession. The growth potential within the position needs to be elevated to a higher level with greater advantage for medical education coordinators/administrators. There are certifications available for both undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME); however, results in achieving these qualifications are shown to be more of a personal satisfaction rather than enhancing career growth. Due to this insufficiency, medical education coordinators/administrators will look for other employment opportunities to advance their careers. In order to retain talented coordinators/administrators, there needs to be an element of growth opportunity in place for them to advance. Other careers provide growth opportunities to retain their valuable assets. Thus, it would appear logical that the same opportunities are made available to medical education coordinators/administrators. The job responsibilities of program coordinators/administrators are determined to be diverse in nature. Therefore, it is apparent that the role is important to the success of any medical education program and identifies as a true “profession”. Research shows the identity of the medical education coordinators/administrators is moving from “administrator-coordinator” towards academic managers, which more accurately depicts their role. The administrative role of managing medical education programs has evolved tremendously with the need for a multilateral approach to develop a new job title and description. It is essential that institutions recognize administrators for the integral management positions they hold within a training program to help make it successful.