The practice of pediatric surgery in a medical school environment: is there a conflict between private practice and academic pursuits?

An 11-year review of the clinical practice and the academic activity of the Section of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Michigan was carried out. This was done in an attempt to determine whether or not increased clinical practice in a medical school environment would have a detrimental effect on academic productivity. Clinical activity was evaluated by analyzing the number of patients seen, the number of operations, patient days, admissions, and revenue generated. Academic activity was analyzed by measuring the number of hours of formal lectures and conferences, research space and personnel, the number of completed and active projects, grant support, and the number of publications. During this 11-year period, the number of operations performed increased from 525 per year to over 1,350, the number of office visits increased from 11 per week to 60 to 65, and the gross revenue increased six-fold. At the same time, the number of formal lectures and conferences given increased from 50 to 267 hours per year, the research space increased from 200 to 1,612 square feet, the research budget increased from $20,000 to $120,000 per year, grant support increased from 0 to $62,000 per year, and the number of publications increased from five to 17 per full-time equivalent (FTE) per year. In fact, this review indicates that during the time that clinical practice and revenue generation increased, so did academic productivity in the form of manuscript writing, project completion, and grant acquisition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)