A practical guide for doctors interested in working and advancing in academic careers

For physicians working in academia, advancing their career can be challenging, requiring a commitment to teaching, research and scholarship — all while maintaining their clinical practice. A professor at KU School of Medicine-Wichita has written a guide to help physicians navigate the academic culture and adapt to academic expectations.

“I’ve been giving the same advice for years,” said Anne Walling, M.B., Ch.B., professor emerita of family and community medicine at KU School of School of Medicine-Wichita. That’s what led her to write “Academic Promotion for Clinicians: A Practical Guide to Promotion and Tenure in Medical Schools.”

“Generally, when people are focused only on the job of educating students,” she said, “their brains aren’t thinking about what they need to do in order to advance their careers.”

Walling said people often assume their good works will eventually be recognized by the administration. “But it’s like being in a court of law — you have to demonstrate how you are worthy and explain why you should be promoted.”

Her book takes these doctors out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to step out and gain the recognition they need. Her best piece of advice for these physicians is to brag about their accomplishments. She added, “Clinicians cannot sing their own praises too loudly.”

A native of Scotland, Walling joined KU School of Medicine in 1981. She has since been a practicing family physician with academic roles that have included vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. When she became the first associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development for KU School of Medicine in 1998, she supervised reorganization of the promotion and tenure system, bylaws revisions and faculty development. Since 2002, she has been responsible for faculty affairs and professional development on the Wichita campus.

The guide to academia for physicians started out as an article Walling wrote in 2017. The article morphed into a handbook, and then evolved into a book. The second edition, published in 2024, includes important updates, and is available online.

The entire process for academic promotion, from establishing the criteria for each academic rank and track to official announcement of promotions and awards of tenure, is governed by formal policies and procedures that are typically enforced to protect applicants, reviewers and the institution.

“Every medical school is different — the process for promotion and tenure can be dynamic,” Walling said. “So, I’ve kept the advice general, focusing on the basics.” The basics include practical questions to ask before seeking academic career advancement.

“I think there are a lot of clinicians throughout the country who don’t think about promotion,” Walling said. “Then when they do, they realize there was a lot they could have been doing to make the process easier.” Her book can help clinicians identify those activities.

Physicians must learn how to articulate the importance of what they have accomplished to people who don’t necessarily understand its value in academia. “It’s a question of credentials, and it’s important to market yourself,” Walling said. “You need to be a little selfish and think about your career. Learn what is valued by the system you are in — and that information is accessible on the institution’s website.”

Perhaps the most basic rule is simple: Know the rules. While building a CV, physicians should find out what their institution values and looks for from applicants. Walling added it’s important to find a mentor them through the system, such as a recently promoted person on the same track or someone who recently served on a promotion committee.

Another piece of advice: Ask questions. The guidelines and rules are accessible on the institution’s website, but they are legal documents, Walling noted. The staff in the associate dean’s office can help decode what certain rules mean in practical terms, and the format for applications is strict. “The staff would rather answer your questions, so you don’t waste time while working diligently to collect the credentials you need,” she said.

Another important tip: Keep records of your accomplishments. “Clinicians are good record keepers when it comes to their patients,” Walling said. “But they need to prove they are better than an average clinician and demonstrate what they’ve brought to the university; for example, talking about why they attract patients from other areas.”

Walling said that sometimes physicians overlook the importance of scholarship and publishing articles that push their profession forward. If that is part of the criteria for promotion in a department, a physician needs to find out early so they can build their CV from the beginning and clearly demonstrate their expertise.

Besides helping physicians learn how to market themselves in an academic setting, the investigation itself may lead people to important discoveries. “Some people may realize they don’t want to be promoted — preferring to stay in the roles that they enjoy — while others become more serious about it.”

In the end, promotion is recognition of excellence and potential for even greater leadership roles. “If you think about it, it’s the only way the university has to honor people,” Walling said. “And academic promotion is a great honor.”