Clinical professors are appointed to instruct professional students in a clinical manner, focusing on practical methods rather than theory. They can be full-time or part-time and may perform other tasks such as research. They are highly sought after in medical and law departments and may be involved in active practice in addition to teaching.
A clinical professor is a member of the faculty or other educational institution specifically appointed by the employer to instruct professional students in a clinical manner. Generally, these professionals are seen as more practice oriented than some other types of professors whose jobs may be more theory and research focused. Due to the very different approaches required for theoretical research and clinical practice, schools have begun to designate professors as clinical professors when they primarily teach practical methods as opposed to theory.
In different roles, clinical faculty may do different things related to a specific department at a school or university. For example, a clinical professor in a medical department will teach clinical practice in medicine. Clinical professors are highly sought after by medical departments because much of the student base requires private instruction in clinical practice, from ambulatory surgery and major surgical methods to ongoing clinical care. In other fields, such as law, a clinical professor will apply the same industry-specific practical knowledge to his instruction. Using the example of the legal field, a clinical professor would focus on practical aspects of working in various local court systems or building relationships with clients, rather than theoretical or abstract work such as future trends in litigation or legislation.
Clinical faculty can be full-time or part-time jobs. These jobs may not be filled in the same way as other teaching jobs, but employers can use a range of grants to attract potential employees to these positions. Some professionals point out that a job as a clinical professor can have a variable impact on a future career as an academic. Generally, an experienced clinical professor will need their demonstrated ability to teach skills, where much of students’ future careers depend on these clinical skills. Depending on the agreement with their employers, these professionals are likely to be involved in active practice in medicine or law, for example, in addition to their teaching duties.
In addition to teaching classes, a clinical professor may perform other tasks that other professors often include in their job descriptions. This includes doing research in clinical areas. A clinical trainer’s role can include lecture-based classes and hands-on clinical labs, where clinical faculty use their experience and skill to demonstrate the actual performance of clinical tasks. Some academics describe clinical instructors as “teaching by example”, where others probably teach primarily in text-based instructional methods, or statistics and research.
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