How to Keep Teaching Faculty Happy

Patient acuity and turnover are two more reasons why faculty members may consider looking for a new job elsewhere.

"Patients in the hospital are of higher acuity and turn over faster than ever before," Schuster says. "Faculty and residents say it's like a rotating door: You admit patients; you discharge them. There's no break."

If this is an issue at your hospital, leadership should look into providing more ancillary services, such as nurse practitioners, PAs, or hospitalists. Having more support staff members can bring a positive effect on quality. Although there will be an initial cost to adding personnel, a higher quality of care can lead to benefits, such as better reimbursements rates.

Setting clear expectations for faculty members before hiring them also staves off discontentment. It can be disconcerting for faculty members when expectations and reality do not match.

"If a clinical faculty member comes on board with a job description divided 70% clinical and 30% teaching, the people at the top have to be very supportive of that time distribution," Schuster recommends.

Before you hire faculty members, ensure that you can keep up your end of the bargain.