Performance evaluations provide essential feedback to faculty on how their productivity compares to expectations, and present an important opportunity for mentoring and career guidance. As an integral component of the School’s planning and evaluation processes, faculty evaluations also assist the Dean, Department Chairs and Institute Directors in determining the optimal allocation of resources to support the School’s mission.
Evaluation Criteria
The use of articulated criteria fosters transparency and encourages the fair and consistent treatment of all members of the faculty, including tenured faculty and faculty holding endowed chairs. In turn, decisions regarding resource allocation can then be based on appropriate objective criteria which reflect the mission of the School, and the legitimate goals of a particular department or institute.
Set forth below are performance criteria which capture a broad range of activities in which faculty may be involved. Recognizing that each member of the faculty plays a unique role in the academic community and that roles may change from time to time, certain criteria may or may not be applicable to a single individual; additionally, alternate or supplemental criteria may be appropriate for a particular department/institute or faculty member.
The criteria are divided into five sections which reflect the School's mission: scholarship, teaching, research, patient care, and service. Individual evaluations will take into consideration rank, track, specialty, time/effort devoted to activities and compensation coverage for those activities and other relevant characteristics of each faculty member. Criteria and examples associated with the criteria may change from time to time.
Scholarship
Scholarly productivity can be documented in many ways, including but not limited to:
- Publications in respected peer review journals
- Citation index for key publications
- Publication of outstanding review articles, chapters, textbooks, etc.
- Invited lectures/presentation of original work and data to professional organizations or other academic institutions
- Innovative web-based materials
Teaching
Excellence in teaching be documented through many activities, with some examples presented below:
A. Local Teaching Contributions
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- Course, Clerkship, Department Teaching
- Development of new clinical or teaching programs
- Leadership positions, e.g., Course Director, Residency Program Director
- Mentoring and advisory activities
- Designation as Master Educators or Fellows by the Institute of Medical Education
B. Regional, National, International Contributions
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- Membership and leadership in professional organization educational committees or events
- Role as course director
- Teaching in continuing medical education courses
C. Evidence from Learners
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- MD or Graduate School program evaluations
- Resident and Clinical Fellow evaluations
- Postdoctoral fellow feedback
- Learner achievements
- Awards from trainees
- Unsolicited letters of appreciation
- Ability to attract students, postdoctoral fellows or clinical fellows
Research
Research success can be measured through a variety of activities and metrics, including but not limited to:
A. Extramural Funding Awards
B. Research Density, i.e., dollars of extramural funding per square foot of assigned wet or dry laboratory space
C. Innovation in Technology or Approaches as evidenced by patents, patent applications, licenses
D. Clinical Trials
Clinical Care
Clinical performance may be measured in many ways, including but not limited to:
A. Ability to Care for Patients
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- Quality of care, including performance compared to internal and external standards
- Malpractice, risk management, and quality assurance experience
- Successful Board certification, recertification
- Patient satisfaction ratings
- Clinical referrals
B. Management of Clinical Practice
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- Faculty practice volume, scope, growth, case and payer mix
- Faculty financial results, e.g. clinical receipts, expenses
- RVU performance against external indicators, e.g. MGMA RVUs for specialty
- Referral of patients to ISMMSclinical trials
- Referral of grateful patients to Development Office
C. Teaching of Clinical Care
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- Teaching undergraduate students
- Teaching house staff and clinical fellows, including clinic attendance and clinic administration
- Participation in rounds and conferences
- Staying current with literature and changing practices in field
- Writing clinical case reports
- Attending/teaching at regional and national societies
Service to Institution and Community
Faculty are expected to provide service both internally and externally, with some examples provided below:
A. School and Hospital
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- Participation in institutional standing committees, e.g., IRB, Medical Board
- Leadership roles in institutional committees
- Significant administrative position in School or Hospital, e.g., Course director, clinic director, chair of a major institutional committee
- Participation in ad hoc committees, e.g., search committees, policy review committees
B. Department and Institute
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- Membership and leadership on department/institute committees, e.g. departmental appointments/promotions committee, ad hoc committees
- Significant administrative position, e.g., Division Chief
- Participation/leadership in departmental meetings, grand rounds, journal clubs
C. Mentoring
D. Professionalism - practice of professional, collegial behavior both within and beyond the Mount Sinai community
E. Leadership in External Professional Organizations
F. Advisory Role in Community and Governmental Committees, e.g. study section, editorial board, task forces
Evaluation Process
System Chairs, Institute Directors or designees as appropriate will conduct annual performance evaluations of faculty using articulated criteria. To facilitate this process, faculty will provide an updated Curriculum Vitae and any additional materials requested. Junior faculty with mentoring committees should also submit their annual mentoring plan and progress report.
As part of the performance review, the faculty member will meet with his/her Chair, Director or designee. This annual meeting will provide an opportunity for critical feedback on performance and expectations for the following year. It is also a time to discuss promotion readiness, i.e., what if anything a faculty member must still accomplish in order to be recommended for promotion. If relevant, the meeting can be used to address changes in the allocation of resources. The discussion will be documented using a standard template that is signed by both the faculty member and the Chair and becomes part of the faculty member’s departmental record.
In cases of poor performance, additional interim evaluations and meetings during the year may be undertaken.
Updated August 2017