Clinical Faculty

Thousands of Clinical Faculty members make up the largest body of volunteer teachers in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FoMD) at the University of Alberta. We comprise over 75% of the educators in the FoMD, providing clinical and classroom instruction to hundreds of students, residents and fellows across all the areas of clinical medicine in both urban and rural settings.

Clinical faculty members may practice in hospital sites, hospital-based clinics, or community based clinics throughout Alberta, Northwest Territories and the Yukon. As volunteer educators, there is no expectation of financial compensation, yet we provide a critical component of practical teaching in various clinical settings to the next generation of healthcare providers at the University of Alberta.

Despite maintaining busy clinical practices, we find time to educate, mentor and guide learners. This also allows on-going relationships to be maintained with the University, and fosters a collegial atmosphere after being in practice.


Obtaining a Clinical Faculty Appointment

Any individual providing clinical teaching to students, residents or fellows in the FoMD is eligible for a CLINICAL FACULTY APPOINTMENT. The process is initiated during the initial recruitment by a request in writing to the Chair of the clinical department to which the individual belongs. Some individuals who provide clinical services may have an adjunct appointment in more than one department, but their primary appointment would be provided through the department in which they perform the majority of their clinical service.

The Chair will then submit a request along with a copy of the individual's curriculum vitae to the Office of Faculty Affairs to request the appointment. It is important for the individual to request the ability to hold research grants if required, and this information would need to be included in the request from the Chair.

The Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs will then review and process the request, and recommend an appointment to the appropriate rank based on the request supplied. This recommendation is then forwarded to the Dean for final approval and signature. Please note that this process can take a month or more to complete, and it is essential that the request be made early on during the recruitment process to the clinical job.