Professional Development

At Children’s Mercy, we treat each of our faculty members as a truly unique individual. We don’t believe there is a “right” career—but there is a right career for you. And you get to decide what it is. There are myriad resources dedicated to supporting your professional journey, starting with the personal relationships the Office of Faculty Development develops with each new faculty member. There is a place for you here, and there are many ways to find your career path. 

Invest in your own developmental education

Educational programming, mentorship and service opportunities—Children’s Mercy faculty have no shortage of opportunities for professional growth:

• The Office of Faculty Development offers several development opportunities including:
  • Annual curriculum with sessions and workshops designed to help develop skills and strengthen relationships.
  • Faculty Mentor Program aiming to support early and mid-career faculty in actualizing goals.
  • Faculty Development Scholarship Program to develop intentional institutional scholarship pathways.
•  For flexible learning, faculty have access to many on-demand online (asynchronous) resources through the Office of Faculty Development, Continuing Medical Education and the Children’s Mercy Berry Institute.
• Children’s Mercy offers a wide variety of Continuing Medical Education opportunities, including:
  • Programs from the Provider Empowerment Resource Center, Performance Excellence, Office of Equity and Diversity and the Center for Wellbeing that help faculty focus on work that is meaningful to them. In addition to clinical topics, CME opportunities provides thoughtful expertise in advocacy, ethics, social determinants of health and other topics that contribute to well-rounded academic medical professionals.
• Schwartz Rounds: Children’s Mercy has been accepted as an approved member of the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. Schwartz Rounds focus specifically on the personal challenges and stresses that everyone involved in health care experiences, especially those issues that may threaten our ability to deliver compassionate care.
• If you are continuing your formal education, Children’s Mercy offers tuition reimbursement depending on your degree program. 

Build a vibrant community

In line with Children’s Mercy’s values of kindness, inclusion and team, faculty members are supported in their efforts to become part of the Children’s Mercy and greater Kansas City community. 

• Children’s Mercy is committed to creating an inclusive environment. In addition to working with our dedicated Office of Equity and Diversity, faculty have opportunities to serve on committees and employee resource groups (ERGs) to further those goals within academic medicine. Each ERG is open to all employees and include: African American Advancement (A3), CM Access Ability, CM Pride, Interfaith, La CASA and the Veteran’s Employee Resource Group (VERG).
• The Office of Faculty Development sponsors a faculty development scholarship program and faculty mentor program to strengthen relationships. 
• Volunteering together in the community is a popular activity within most departments.
• Many of our faculty engage in advocacy efforts for child health issues through organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and nonpartisan legislative lobbying.

Prioritize your own wellbeing

Personal and professional wellbeing is centered on engagement in your work and connection with your colleagues. Engagement is achieved through training and leadership development opportunities tailored to your professional goals, a sense of
doing work that matters and being recognized for your accomplishments.

The Center for Wellbeing provides evidence-based resources for individual wellbeing (including 1:1 support, mindfulness training, peer and team support, education and more. The Center for Wellbeing works with hospital leadership and individual teams to create system-based improvements that support meaning and purpose in your work, reduce barriers that lead to burnout, foster a culture of belonging and create joy in the workplace.