Assessing an academic pharmacy position: guidelines for evaluating an institution and roles for new faculty

The decision to join an academic community engaged in pharmacy education and research requires careful consideration of many issues. Unfortunately, these issues and the processes by which one might evaluate them may be foreign to the prospective faculty member. In today's market, there are a wide variety of academic institutions from which to choose, including those that are part of an academic health sciences center, private school or university, liberal arts college, or for-profit or not-for-profit school. Each institution will have a different mission and vision, programmatic focus, and structure. Thus, careful evaluation of an academic position and the roles for potential new faculty in that institution is of paramount importance. Areas that should be assessed by faculty candidates include institutional culture and focus, organizational structure and reporting responsibilities, role of faculty governance and voting abilities, and opportunities for career enhancement and professional growth. Through careful evaluation of various components of the institution and roles for faculty within the school/college within the institution, faculty candidates may be able to more accurately judge what they consider to be a good match for long-term enjoyment and success as part of the pharmacy academy.