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Final Approval Body: Board of Trustees Human Resources Committee
Senior Administrative Position with Responsibility for Policy: Provost & Vice-Principal (Academic)
Date Initially Approved: March 7, 2025
Date of Last Revision, if applicable: n/a

PURPOSE OF POLICY

This Policy, and any related procedures and guidelines, define the academic relationships between the Faculty of Health Sciences (also referred to as Queen’s Health Sciences) and its clinical faculty members, and provides a structured approach to governing clinical and academic appointments, except those which may be governed by a collective bargaining unit at the university.  

This Policy introduces new and revised clinical academic faculty appointment types and introduces criteria for continuing appointments. 

This Policy replaces previous documentation or university policies which described or governed clinical academic appointments, except those which may continue to apply as noted below.

DEFINITIONS

a.    “academic appointment type” refers to the relationship (employment or non-employment) between an appointee and the university, where the incumbent is engaged with the university to provide service in one or all of the following domains: teaching/education, research/scholarly activity, professional/administrative service.
b.    “academic rank” refers to the academic standing of a faculty member within the university. Each clinical academic faculty member will be assigned an academic rank at the commencement of their appointment with the university, which is commensurate with their education, experience and professional accomplishments and includes one of the following: Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. 
c.    “affiliated healthcare organization”: An academic health sciences centre, academic medical practice, major teaching hospital, major teaching/practice site, clinical teaching hospital or clinical teaching practice site with a formal agreement with the university regarding provision for a clinical academic appointment type for medical staff at these organizations where these staff perform functions in support of the university’s academic mission.
d.    “clinical academic appointment” refers to the appointment type held by a clinical academic faculty member. 
e.    “clinical academic faculty member” refers to a physician who is licensed in the Province of Ontario and who normally contributes all of their clinical and academic effort to advancing the purposes of the School of Medicine and its affiliated healthcare organizations as defined in the university’s affiliation agreements.  These efforts are described in the members’ individual role descriptions, which are to be reviewed annually by the respective Department Head. 
f.    “committee” means a standing committee within a department charged with making a recommendation to the Department Head regarding the suitability of an individual for appointment or promotion.
g.    “continuing appointment” refers to an academic appointment without an end date, whereby the faculty member is not required to seek reappointment and is entitled to continuous employment, unless they are otherwise provided notice of termination as described within the faculty member’s employment contract with the university. Continuing appointments require an ongoing commitment from the faculty member to diligently strive for excellence in teaching/education, research/scholarly activity, and other responsibilities as described in the role description of their clinical academic appointment. 
h.    “cross appointment” refers to a mutually beneficial relationship between a faculty member and their non-primary academic department, which encourages collaboration and interdisciplinary work.  A cross appointed faculty member is based in a primary department, but has prescribed and limited responsibilities in another unit, which are agreed to by the faculty member and the respective Dean(s) (and Heads if applicable). 
i.    “Dean” refers to the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences (also referred to as Queen’s Health Sciences) or their delegate.
j.    “Department Head” refers to the senior academic and administrative leader of the university’s academic department.  In a clinical academic department, the Department Head shall be jointly appointed by the university and the affiliated healthcare organization in accordance with established procedures and by-laws.  The clinical Department Head is accountable for the management of clinical service through the relevant healthcare organization and the teaching, education and research work of Queen’s Health Sciences.  For further information, please refer to the respective affiliation agreements. 
k.    “department” refers to the academic unit of the university and faculty, as constituted by the Senate and Board of Trustees of ����ֱ�� at Kingston. 
l.    “Faculty”: with a capital letter first, refers to the Faculty of Health Sciences or Queen’s Health Sciences; “faculty” with a lowercase first, refers to a university appointee or appointees. 
m.    “fully affiliated academic health sciences centre/academic practice”: A fully affiliated academic health sciences centre/academic medical practice at Queen’s University is a hospital/medical practice that maintains a formal and comprehensive partnership with the university. The "fully affiliated" designation signifies a deep, structured relationship where the organization plays a significant role in the university’s academic mission, encompassing advanced patient care, innovative research, and the education of medical and healthcare professionals. Specifically, fully affiliated is characterized by the following:
     i.    Academic Integration: They are closely tied to the university’s educational programs, providing clinical training and placement opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, residents, and other healthcare learners. This includes hands-on experience in settings such as acute care, tertiary care, and specialized medical services.
     ii.    Research Collaboration: These organizations often house research institutes or programs that work in tandem with the university, contributing to cutting-edge biomedical and health sciences research. Faculty members and clinicians at these organizations will hold academic appointments with the university, fostering a synergy between clinical practice and scholarly inquiry.
     iii.    Governance and Funding Ties: The relationship is formalized through affiliation agreements that outline shared goals, responsibilities, and resource commitments, normally including joint selection and appointment of clinical/academic department heads.
n.    “joint appointment” refers to an appointment of a faculty member that is shared by two (2) or more departments/units at the university. Financing for joint appointments is arranged among the departments/units, and must be approved by the respective Deans or their delegates. The allocation of responsibilities among the respective departments/units shall be set out in the letter of appointment. Decision-making pursuant to this agreement shall, where appropriate, be divided according to this allocation. Procedures to be used for personnel decisions shall be agreed to in writing between the appointee and the departments/units concerned at the time of appointment.
o.    “Provost” refers to the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) or their delegate.
p.    “Queen’s Health Sciences” shall also mean the Faculty of Health Sciences.
q.    “university” shall refer to Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario.

POLICY STATEMENT

The Faculty of Health Sciences (also referred to as Queen’s Health Sciences or QHS) is regarded as a global leader in health sciences education and research, and serves as a hub for an interconnected academic health sciences network in Eastern Ontario. QHS consists of three ����ֱ�� schools: the School of Medicine (SOM), School of Nursing (SON), and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy (SRT).

This Policy establishes a framework for clinical academic appointments in the Faculty of Health Sciences, ensuring alignment with the university’s academic mission and evolving clinical and academic needs.  Clinical academic appointments exist to advance the purposes of the School of Medicine and the affiliated healthcare organizations, as defined in the university’s affiliation agreements. 

All clinical academic faculty members are appointed to a primary clinical academic department, have an academic appointment type, an academic rank and an academic role description.  Clinical faculty members may be jointly or cross appointed to additional departments at the university. 

Clinical academic departments:
The clinical academic departments of Queen’s Health Sciences include Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Surgery, and Urology. 

Academic appointment types: 
Within Queen’s Health Sciences, there are four (4) academic appointment types which are differentiated by the contributions of the faculty member and are connected to the geographic location of the position.  Each academic appointment is subject to the approval of the Provost and is governed by the terms and conditions of a written offer of appointment from the Provost. 

The main criteria of the four (4) academic appointment types are as follows:

1.    Clinical Academic (full-time or part-time)
Clinical Academic appointments refer to both employment and non-employment relationships, where a physician is engaged in clinical and academic service (encompassing teaching/education and/or research/scholarly work, and professional/administrative service) within a fully affiliated academic health sciences centre where the clinical and academic contributions are overseen by the jointly appointed Department Head, or in an affiliated healthcare organization where the clinical and academic contributions are addressed in an affiliation or other agreement.

Full-time clinical academic appointments are offered when the appointee is contributing ≥80% of their professional time to Queen’s Health Sciences, whereas part-time clinical academic appointments are offered when the appointee is contributing between 10-79% of their professional time to Queen’s Health Sciences.

While there is no entitlement to convert between full-time and part-time status, clinical academics holding full-time appointments are eligible to request a reduction related to their responsibilities to the university for a fixed period.  Requests for reduced responsibilities (both temporary and permanent) are subject to the approval of the Department Head and the Dean (or their delegate).  Please refer to the Procedures Manual for Academic Appointments in Queen’s Health Sciences for additional information.

Appointees to clinical academic appointments may be eligible to receive employment income through the university (payable as T4 income), if an applicable funding arrangement has been established with the university. In situations where funding arrangements have not been established but the clinical service is performed within a fully affiliated academic health sciences centre (or in an affiliated healthcare organization where the clinical and academic contributions are addressed in an affiliation or other agreement), the clinical academic appointee would not be considered an employee of the university and therefore would not be eligible for employment-related income or benefits (e.g. benefits, pension, etc.). 

2.    Adjunct Academic 
Adjunct Academic appointments refer to employment relationships where a physician is engaged in a limited scope of academic service (encompassing a combination of teaching/education, and/or research/scholarly work, and/or professional/administrative service), contributing 10-100% of their professional time to Queen’s Health Sciences. 

Appointees to adjunct academic appointments are considered employees of the university and would be eligible to receive employment income through the university (payable as T4 income).

Incumbents to Adjunct Academic Appointments may be practicing physicians, however, their independent clinical service is considered outside of the university’s oversight.

3.    Status Only Adjunct 
Status Only Adjunct appointments refer to non-employment relationships where the appointee provides their skills and expertise to advance the academic mission of the university and/or Queen’s Health Sciences. 

These appointments are normally unpaid (ineligible to receive T4 income) and do not constitute an employment relationship.  In certain situations, appointees may be eligible to receive honorarium payments and/or professional income (as applicable).  

Status Only Adjunct Appointments include but are not limited to relationships with preceptors, clinical locums, post-resignation/retirement appointees, community and/or research partnerships.

4.    Administrative 
Administrative appointments refer to employment relationships where the appointee is engaged to provide administrative and/or leadership service in support of the academic mission of the university and/or Queen’s Health Sciences, ranging from 10-100% of their professional time.

Administrative appointments are considered separate from an appointee’s academic faculty appointment (if applicable) and are compensated through employment income (payable as T4 income).

The appointment of Clinical Academic Heads is a joint process administered between representation of Queen’s Health Sciences and leadership of the respective hospitals. This process is governed by the Senate Policy on the Appointment of Heads of Clinical/Academic Departments and documented within the Procedures Manual for Academic Appointments in Queen’s Health Sciences. 

Academic Rank
Each clinical academic appointee shall be assigned an academic rank at the commencement of their appointment with the university.  Academic rank refers to the academic standing of a faculty member within the university and is commensurate to their education, experience and professional accomplishments.  Academic ranks include the following:

• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor 
• Associate Professor 
• Professor

Promotion 
Clinical faculty members are eligible to apply for promotion to the sequential applicable academic rank and will be assessed on their contributions to teaching/education, research/scholarly work, and professional and/or administrative service. Appointees have the right to be considered for promotion in any year. An appointee may withdraw from promotion consideration at any time during the process.

There are three main areas of an appointee’s work that are to be considered in matters of promotion:

• Teaching/Education
• Research/Scholarly Work; and
• Professional and/or Administrative Service.

The weighting to be given to each category will vary from rank to rank. Guidance as to the appropriateness of that balance is primarily the responsibility of the Faculty Board. The following description may serve as a guide:

• For promotion to Assistant Professor: The appointee should be a good teacher and show evidence of the successful initiation of research and scholarly work. The appointee's participation in the operation of the Department, the university or contributions to the profession may be taken into consideration.
• For promotion to Associate Professor: The appointee should be a very good teacher, carrying a reasonable teaching load. The appointee's research and scholarly work should show high quality as judged by experts in the appointee's field of specialization. Contributions of the appointee to the operations of the Department, the university and the profession will be taken into account.
• For promotion to Professor: The appointee must either combine distinguished scholarly work with very good teaching, or continuing high quality scholarly work with exceptional contributions in teaching. The appointee will have made a contribution to the successful operation of the Department, the university and the profession.

Please refer to the Procedures Manual for Academic Appointments in Queen’s Health Sciences for additional information related to promotions criteria and procedures. 

Academic role descriptions:
Clinical academic faculty members have a unique academic role description, which describes their clinical and academic contributions to the university and Queen’s Health Sciences.  Role descriptions are to be reviewed annually by the respective Department Head. Clinical responsibilities are carried out within the affiliated healthcare organizations; professional/administrative service contributions may occur within the university, hospitals or community; and teaching/education and research/scholarly work form part of a clinical faculty member’s academic responsibilities.  Academic role descriptions shall be based on the academic (and clinical, as applicable) contributions, and not on the funding source of the appointment.  

Appointment Timelines by Appointment Type
Each of the four (4) appointment types allows for unique timelines and circumstances. In any type of appointment, renewals are neither promised nor guaranteed. While the following descriptions may serve as a guide, please refer to the Procedures Manual for Academic Appointments in Queen’s Health Sciences for additional information related to administrative appointments and procedures. 

1.    Clinical Academic Appointments
Initial Clinical Academic Appointments will normally be made for a three (3) year term, concluding on June 30 of the final year of the appointment.  Appointees must apply for reappointment in the final year of their term and may be eligible for a subsequent term of up to three (3) years.  

Following the completion of the second term, appointees may apply for and be considered for renewals of up to five years, contingent on demonstrated performance and alignment with the needs of the academic unit. 

Appointees holding Clinical Academic Appointments at the rank of Associate Professor may become eligible for continuing status, upon meeting the criteria established for this appointment category, including sustained excellence in their academic and professional contributions.

 With the implementation of this Policy, those who have been granted tenure before the effective date of this policy will continue to retain this status. New appointments without end dates under this policy will be known as a ‘continuing appointment’. 

Continuing appointments refer to an academic appointment without an end date, whereby the faculty member is not required to seek reappointment and is entitled to continuous employment, unless they are otherwise provided notice of termination as described within the faculty member’s employment contract with the university. Continuing appointments require an ongoing commitment from the faculty member to diligently strive for excellence in teaching/education, research/scholarly activity, and other responsibilities as described in the role description of their clinical academic appointment. The entitlement to continuous employment shall include normal consideration for promotion and other benefits in working conditions.

2.    Adjunct Academic Appointments
Adjunct Academic Appointments will normally be term-limited for up to three (3) years, with unlimited renewals, subject to the recommendation of the Department Head and the approval of the Dean (or their delegate).

Appointees holding Adjunct Academic Appointments are excluded from the above-described automatic eligibility for continuing status. Continuing status would only be provided to Adjunct Appointees in exceptional circumstances, on the recommendation of the respective Vice-Dean and with the approval of the Chief Financial & Administration Officer and the Dean (or their delegate). 

3.    Status Only Academic Appointments
Status Only Academic Appointments will be term-limited for up to three (3) years, with unlimited renewals, subject to the recommendation of the Department Head and the approval of the Dean (or their delegate).

4.    Administrative Appointments
Administrative Appointments will be term-limited for up to five (5) years and/or in alignment with the program/project requirements. Administrative Appointments may be eligible for renewal, subject to the approval of the Dean (or their delegate) and/or the Provost (or their delegate).

Financial Arrangements
All appointments (and applicable renewals) described in this Policy are subject to financial approval and may be funded through internal funds and/or a variety of external funding providers.  

Financial arrangements between the university and the external funding provider(s) must be clearly stated in writing. All financial arrangements and any changes to those arrangements must be in accordance with departmental and university policies and are subject to the approval of the Chief Financial & Administration Officer and Dean, QHS. These statements must include any university salary and benefits related to academic responsibilities. Additionally, these statements must clearly indicate the source and conditions of professional (non-employment) income and are subject to the terms and conditions of agreements between the university and the funding provider. The clinical academic faculty member must be provided with the details of the financial arrangement at the time of appointment. 

In the event of the termination of an external funding arrangement, upon which a clinical academic appointment is conditional, the impacted clinical academic faculty member(s) would be informed and provided notice subject to the Employment Standards Act (2000) and/or the terms and conditions of their letter of appointment. 

SCOPE OF PROPOSED POLICY/PROCEDURE

This Policy and any related procedures and guidelines apply to clinical academic faculty members and provides the general principles for their relationship with the university.  This Policy excludes those appointees and appointments which may be governed by collective bargaining agreements at the university.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Board of Trustees: The Board, through delegation to its Human Resources Committee, is responsible for approval of the Policy and any future revisions, after carefully considering the information and recommendations provided by the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and Queen’s Health Sciences. 

Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic): The Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) is responsible for the delegated authority of the development and administration of the Policy’s content and applicable procedures.

Office of the Dean, QHS: The Office of the Dean, QHS (or delegate) has delegated authority for the implementation and daily administration of the Policy’s content and applicable procedures, with the support of the QHS HR & Staffing Office.

Related Policies, Procedures, Guidelines: 

• Policies: 
  • The University Appointment: Freedom and Responsibility
• Procedures: 
  • Procedures Manual for Academic Faculty Appointments in Queen’s Health Sciences
• Agreements:
  • External Funding Agreements, including the Alternate Funding Plan (AFP) Agreement
  • Hospital Affiliation Agreements
  • Hospital By-laws
  • Preceptor Agreements

Policies Impacted/Superseded by this Policy: 

• Regulations Governing Appointment, Renewal of Appointment, Tenure and Termination for Academic Staff
• Statement on Adjunct Academic Staff and Academic Assistants
• Statement on Promotion Policy for Geographically Full-Time and Adjunct-1 (non-Bargaining Unit) Appointees of the Faculty of Health Sciences
• Non-Bargaining Unit School of Medicine Academic Staff Grievances 
• Appointment of Heads of Clinical/Academic Departments  

Responsible Officer: Provost
Contact: Associate Director (Staffing), qhsstaffing@queensu.ca
Date for Next Review: 2030

Please submit your final package to the Secretariat at policies@queensu.ca.