Roles and Responsibilities of Behavioral Science Faculty on Inpatient Medicine Settings

Behavioral science faculty (BSF) who work in family medicine residency education find themselves in inpatient medicine teaching service settings. However, there is limited research on the roles and responsibilities that BSF fill while working in inpatient medicine teaching services within family medicine residencies. The purpose of the present modified sequential explanatory study was to clarify the roles of BSF and how the BSF responsibilities inform training of mental health clinicians. The convenience sample for quantitative analysis included 60 BSF who currently work on an inpatient medicine teaching service and completed a web-based survey on contextual demographics and roles on inpatient medicine teaching service. The convenience sample for qualitative analysis included 24 BSF who participated in a semi-structured interview about the roles and responsibilities on an inpatient medicine teaching service. Results suggest that behavioral science faculty members assume the roles of Educator, Administrator, Patient Care Supporter, Evaluator, Scholar/Researcher, Community Service Liaison, Mentor/Advisor, and Gatekeeper, and perform multiple responsibilities within each role. I will identify the responsibilities within each role that BSF fill in inpatient medicine teaching services using qualitative analysis and explore discrepancies between previous frameworks and this study's outcomes. Implications for this research will help to inform the hiring process for behavioral science faculty, resident education, and comprehensive behavioral science faculty and marriage and family therapy training.