This assessment must carefully examine the chair's expectations and the mechanisms available to promote faculty growth. Carefully explore how productivity is promoted by determining if there is there a research director, research coordinator, statistician, research nurse, education assistant, secretarial support, etc. Assess if there are colleagues you can collaborate with, senior faculty who can direct you, or, even better, faculty who can mentor you. Lack of support services will make academic productivity challenging at best. With the above as a base, it must be emphasized that even the most brilliant clinician, the most innovative researcher, or the most charismatic teacher can fail in an academic setting if they have not carefully built bridges with colleagues inside and outside the department.
Few people can survive without cultivating a network that promotes their growth.
This understates the importance of strong communication skills, honesty, and ethical behavior. It is critical early in a career to establish oneself as a hard worker capable of setting a goal and achieving it in a timely manner. Embarking on a journey into academic emergency medicine is no different. Pack your bags by acquiring the tools for success during residency. And last, but perhaps most important, work with your colleagues and associates to network and to keep your finger on the pulse of our specialty at institutional, regional, and national levels.