Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic productivity of health sciences faculty members in one graduate school in the United States. Thirty-two faculty members completed an electronic survey comparing academic productivity in the year prior to the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/483 |
| _version_ | 1797406745884098560 |
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| author | Keshrie Naidoo Sarah Kaplan Callie Jordan Roberts Laura Plummer |
| author_facet | Keshrie Naidoo Sarah Kaplan Callie Jordan Roberts Laura Plummer |
| author_sort | Keshrie Naidoo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic productivity of health sciences faculty members in one graduate school in the United States. Thirty-two faculty members completed an electronic survey comparing academic productivity in the year prior to the pandemic to a year during the pandemic. In total, 90.7% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that time dedicated to teaching increased, and 81.2% agreed or strongly agreed that they prioritized teaching over research during the pandemic. Participants presented an average of 2.72 peer-reviewed papers at an academic conference the year before and 1.47 during the pandemic, with females more adversely affected than males. Journal submissions with survey participants as the first or last authors decreased during the pandemic. Twelve faculty members including genetic counseling, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech and language pathology participated in one-to-one interviews. Three themes emerged from qualitative data analysis: stressed systems, balancing act, and meaningful connection. Faculty members were faced with an external locus of control during the pandemic and noted a lack of autonomy and pressure to help students graduate on time and maintain the quality of teaching while dealing with uncertainty in both their professional and personal lives. The pandemic disproportionately impacted women and junior faculty members as connectedness and mentorship declined. Collaboration and research mentorship must be prioritized moving forward to continue to advance healthcare and health sciences education. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:31:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f4b6096a5b0c4bb0bd831b268e555e71 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:31:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f4b6096a5b0c4bb0bd831b268e555e712023-12-03T14:56:33ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-07-0112748310.3390/educsci12070483Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the PandemicKeshrie Naidoo0Sarah Kaplan1Callie Jordan Roberts2Laura Plummer3Department of Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USADepartment of Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USADepartment of Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USADepartment of Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USAThe purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic productivity of health sciences faculty members in one graduate school in the United States. Thirty-two faculty members completed an electronic survey comparing academic productivity in the year prior to the pandemic to a year during the pandemic. In total, 90.7% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that time dedicated to teaching increased, and 81.2% agreed or strongly agreed that they prioritized teaching over research during the pandemic. Participants presented an average of 2.72 peer-reviewed papers at an academic conference the year before and 1.47 during the pandemic, with females more adversely affected than males. Journal submissions with survey participants as the first or last authors decreased during the pandemic. Twelve faculty members including genetic counseling, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech and language pathology participated in one-to-one interviews. Three themes emerged from qualitative data analysis: stressed systems, balancing act, and meaningful connection. Faculty members were faced with an external locus of control during the pandemic and noted a lack of autonomy and pressure to help students graduate on time and maintain the quality of teaching while dealing with uncertainty in both their professional and personal lives. The pandemic disproportionately impacted women and junior faculty members as connectedness and mentorship declined. Collaboration and research mentorship must be prioritized moving forward to continue to advance healthcare and health sciences education.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/483health sciencesacademic productivitypandemic |
| spellingShingle | Keshrie Naidoo Sarah Kaplan Callie Jordan Roberts Laura Plummer Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic Education Sciences health sciences academic productivity pandemic |
| title | Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic |
| title_full | Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic |
| title_short | Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic |
| title_sort | three stressed systems health sciences faculty members navigating academia healthcare and family life during the pandemic |
| topic | health sciences academic productivity pandemic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/483 |
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