Research and scholarship of clinical laboratory science faculty members.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the research and scholarly productivity of faculty in four-year college and university clinical laboratory science (CLS) programs. To identify hours spent in research, numbers of presentations and publications, and external funding. DESIGN: In 2008, a national study involving 106 college and university CLS programs was conducted to determine whether faculty were participating in research. A questionnaire, in electronic format, was distributed to 448 faculty members. Data from 2001 to 2008, and from 275 respondents (61% response) representing 93 of 106 (88%) CLS programs were analyzed. SETTING: The study took place at The Ohio State University with collaboration from the University of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: All CLS faculty within a four-year university or college sponsoring a NAACLS-accredited CLS program were invited to participate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine whether CLS faculty scholarly activities have been strengthened in the past decade. To quantitate scholarship productivity. To assess faculty perceptions of their employment environments. RESULTS: Data indicate that faculty who possess earned doctorates have higher levels of research productivity. While 52% of CLS faculty hold doctorates and 45% are tenured, 36% of all CLS faculty members have not published a research paper or abstract since 2001. On the other hand, 19% have published 11 or more times. CLS faculty were also awarded a total of $62 million in external funding, 83% from government sources. Teaching remains a primary responsibility of many faculty members. CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, and generally speaking, CLS faculty have made some progress in scholarship including highest degree obtained, publications, presentations, and grantsmanship.