Academic Medicine Open Forum

Earlier this month we offered some suggestions for keeping employees motivated and engaged in their jobs. Internally, we've been talking about the impact of the Great Resignation on academic medicine. We don't have evidence to show whether our industry has been impacted to the same extent as other industries and professional fields… but we have seen a marked increase in job openings on CareerConnect, the AAMC's job board. In the first half of this academic year (first half of FY 22), the number of posted job openings on CareerConnect increased 32 percent compared to that same time period one year prior.

We'd love your feedback to help us understand this trend better. Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

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Janet Stiles
Sr. Director, Member Engagement & AAMC CareerConnect
Association of American Medical Colleges
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Thanks for kicking this off, @Janet Stiles. @Penny Schnarrs saw my post on Linked In which was pretty relevant, so wanted to lift up here as well - there's a great article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, "The Great Faculty Disengagement." As the article headlines, "Disengaging is a perfectly rational response if your employer signals that your engagement isn't welcome." And, "sometimes departure is a state of mind."

In my opinion, disengagement is likely a significant problem in many industries, but it is clearly present in higher education, and has been years in the making. The Great Resignation is more than physical shuffling, but also speaks to the mental and emotional connection (or lack thereof) people feel to their work and institutions.​​

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Angela D. Blood
Curriculum Community Manager
Director, Curriculum Resources
AAMC
202-828-0482
ablood@aamc.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2022 09:46
From: Janet Stiles
Subject: Question of the Week: Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

Earlier this month we offered some suggestions for keeping employees motivated and engaged in their jobs. Internally, we've been talking about the impact of the Great Resignation on academic medicine. We don't have evidence to show whether our industry has been impacted to the same extent as other industries and professional fields… but we have seen a marked increase in job openings on CareerConnect, the AAMC's job board. In the first half of this academic year (first half of FY 22), the number of posted job openings on CareerConnect increased 32 percent compared to that same time period one year prior.

We'd love your feedback to help us understand this trend better. Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

------------------------------
Janet Stiles
Sr. Director, Member Engagement & AAMC CareerConnect
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------

@Angela Blood

Thanks so much for sharing this article and raising this important perspective. 

I appreciate the authors call for leaders to acknowledge this and study how widespread disengagement is in their organization; seeing it as "an exercise in bearing witness to what we've experienced so we can learn and heal from it".

What do others think?  How are you addressing disengagement within your teams?  How are you managing your own feelings of disengagement?  How can the AAMC community help?

 
-Janet

​

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Janet Stiles
Sr. Director, Member Engagement & AAMC CareerConnect
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2022 13:17
From: Angela Blood
Subject: Question of the Week: Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

Thanks for kicking this off, @Janet Stiles. @Penny Schnarrs saw my post on Linked In which was pretty relevant, so wanted to lift up here as well - there's a great article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, "The Great Faculty Disengagement." As the article headlines, "Disengaging is a perfectly rational response if your employer signals that your engagement isn't welcome." And, "sometimes departure is a state of mind."

In my opinion, disengagement is likely a significant problem in many industries, but it is clearly present in higher education, and has been years in the making. The Great Resignation is more than physical shuffling, but also speaks to the mental and emotional connection (or lack thereof) people feel to their work and institutions.​​

------------------------------
Angela D. Blood
Curriculum Community Manager
Director, Curriculum Resources
AAMC
202-828-0482
ablood@aamc.org

Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2022 09:46
From: Janet Stiles
Subject: Question of the Week: Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

Earlier this month we offered some suggestions for keeping employees motivated and engaged in their jobs. Internally, we've been talking about the impact of the Great Resignation on academic medicine. We don't have evidence to show whether our industry has been impacted to the same extent as other industries and professional fields… but we have seen a marked increase in job openings on CareerConnect, the AAMC's job board. In the first half of this academic year (first half of FY 22), the number of posted job openings on CareerConnect increased 32 percent compared to that same time period one year prior.

We'd love your feedback to help us understand this trend better. Are your institutions feeling the impact of The Great Resignation?

------------------------------
Janet Stiles
Sr. Director, Member Engagement & AAMC CareerConnect
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------