A new program to reward and retain volunteer clinical faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM: Volunteer clinical faculty (VCF) are vital to the educational mission of medical schools. At the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), VCF are increasingly relied upon to meet clinical training needs in medical student and resident education. However, many VCF receive little or no preparation to excel in their teaching roles, and they are under increasing time demands that limit their availability to teach. Beginning in 2001, the primary care departments at MCW began a series of initiatives called "ExCEED" to promote VCF teaching excellence and efficiency through two main program components: Advisory Councils, made up of VCF leaders, and Support Services, such as web-based resources and teaching workshops. Preliminary ExCEED findings show that VCF have acquired important knowledge, skills, and tools that have better prepared them for their teaching roles. ExCEED is a systematic, multi-method approach to engage VCF that is positively influencing the clinical education of MCW students and residents.