PURPOSE/SCOPE:
Provide guidelines for determining acceptable qualifications to accomplish the mission and goals of the college.
POLICY:
ICOM appoints competent faculty members who are qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the college. When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, ICOM gives primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline in accordance with its published guidelines. ICOM also considers professional competence, effectiveness, and as appropriate, related work experiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, documented excellence in teaching, and other demonstrated achievements which may contribute to effective teaching outcomes. Faculty credentialing is required as part of the initial appointment process and annually thereafter for continuing appointment or reappointment. This policy establishes how credentials of faculty, including biomedical, clinical, volunteer, and contract faculty, will be reviewed and approved.
Faculty completing an additional degree that may qualify them to teach in a new discipline are required to provide an official verification of the additional degree. Failure to provide appropriate documentation in a timely fashion may impact a faculty’s annual performance review and/or contract renewal, as determined by the hiring supervisor, Associate Dean, Director or Chair of the Program or Division, and Dean.
Clinical Faculty
Any clinician who is credentialed and approved by ICOM to teach ICOM student doctors is considered to be adjunct clinical faculty. These faculty may apply for appointment at an academic rank for which they have demonstrated experience.
ICOM is responsible for ensuring that all clinical faculty, including preceptors, volunteer, and contract faculty, who provide patient care and teach students in clinical settings, and/or deliver clinical topics in the classroom, satisfy minimum requirements as stipulated in the accreditation standards of health professional educational programs and/or by state law. Physicians and Allied Health Professionals who provide services at ICOM, its affiliated hospitals, and any location where ICOM students pursue activities for academic credit must be credentialed. Credentialing and approval of prospective clinical faculty members are contingent on verification of necessary academic credentials, licensure, and certifications.
The supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean is responsible for identifying the minimum requirements for a specific faculty position. Minimum requirements include academic degree, valid medical licensure for the state in which they are practicing, and have had AOA or ABMS board certification in the specialty being taught at some time in their career or be board eligible in the specialty being taught.
All non-physician faculty must have demonstrated appropriate qualifications in their disciplinary field.
The supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean is responsible for notifying the Academic Appointment & Promotion Committee and/or Human Resources Department when the final candidate is identified and if that individual wishes to pursue academic appointment in addition to approval of credentials to teach. The Academic Appointment & Promotion Committee will be responsible for:
- Verifying the validity of the academic degree
- Verifying that the candidate has a valid, unexpired medical licensure in the state in which they are practicing
- Verifying the candidate’s board certification status
For academic appointments, the appropriate completed faculty forms and documentation of licensure and/or board certification will be verified by the Academic Appointment & Promotion Committee and/or Human Resources Department and approved by the ICOM Dean.
If a final faculty candidate is not yet licensed, and licensure is required, the Academic Appointment & Promotion and/or Human Resources Department will report this to the supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean. The supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean will be responsible for obtaining documentation of licensure and/or board certification status prior to the first day of appointment at ICOM. The faculty appointee may bring the original document to the supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean, Human Resources personnel, or provide a notarized photocopy. If an original document is provided by the appointee, the supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean or Human Resources personnel will copy it, initial the photocopy, and then return the original document to the appointee. The supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean or Human Resources personnel will provide documentation of licensure and/or board certification status to the Academic Appointment & Promotion and/or Human Resources Department and retain one copy for the Program or Division file.
Biomedical Science Faculty
Faculty teaching biomedical sciences courses, including volunteer and contract faculty, are required to hold a terminal degree—usually the earned doctorate— with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline). Under unusual circumstances, faculty at the rank of Instructor may hold a bachelor's degree in the field to be taught with at least three years of directly related occupational experience that uniquely qualifies them in their discipline. Such qualifications and evidence of outstanding performance must be documented and approved by the appropriate supervising department chair, division director, assistant, or associate dean and ICOM Dean.
The supervising department chair, division director, assistant or associate dean is responsible for notifying the Academic Appointment & Promotion Committee and/or Human Resources Department when the final appointee is identified. The Academic Appointment & Promotion and/or Human Resources Department will be responsible for verifying the validity of the academic degree. All offers of appointment to prospective biomedical science faculty members are contingent on verification of necessary academic credentials.
POLICY OWNER:
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs
BOARD APPROVAL:
APPROVAL:
Effective: 8/20/19
Last Reviewed: 5/24/23
Review Requirement: