Not only teachers: What do health administration faculty members do?

Abstract

Researchers have long been interested in how university faculty allocate their time between professional tasks. This study uses multiple years of Health Administration (HA) faculty survey data to examine how work activity has changed over time, and how work activity relates to faculty rank and the type of school in which a faculty member is employed. We report on faculty time allocation to research, teaching, and administration by survey year, faculty rank, and type of school. We also examine factors related to faculty's status as a principal investigator, teaching load, and research funding. On average, HA faculty spent 43% of their time teaching, 31% doing research, 20% in administrative activities, and 5% in other activities. Full professors spent significantly less time teaching, had lighter teaching loads, and spent more time on administration than other faculty. Faculty in schools of health professions, business, and other schools spent more time in teaching and had lower research funding expectations than faculty in schools of public health and medicine. These findings may help faculty identify jobs that best align with their interests and benchmark their work against industry norms. These findings may also help administrators in HA programs set appropriate expectations for their faculty.