Factors Affecting the Number of Medical Faculty Members Required in Iranian Medical Sciences Universities: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

Background: Because of an increased demand for clinical faculty members in medical departments and no comprehensive model, identifying the affecting factors could be effective in planning in thisarea. So in this study we aimed to identify the key variables (and their weight) influencing the number of medical faculty members required in Iranian medical sciences universities.Methods: This study was an applied analytical descriptive one. It was a cross-sectional survey and done in Iran using the exploratory factor analysis. The main data collection instrument was a questionnaire and SPSS software version 20 was used for statistical analysis. We used expert opinions to assess the questionnaire’s validity and Cronbach’s coefficient alpha to confirm its reliability. The statistical population consisted of faculty members and directors of medical departments of Iranian medical sciences universities and experts of medical education. The sample size was determined to be 320.Results: Exploratory factor analysis indicated that in an optimal system, nine factors (consisted of 40 variables) titled “research/scholarship services” (14.3%) ,“specialty training” (12.9%), “clinical services” (9.5%), “features of faculty members” (7.5%), “undergraduate training” (6.8%), “university development level” (6.1%), “other characteristics of the university or the region” (5.1%), “desertion rate among faculty members” (4.5%), and “the nature and scope of the specialty” (2.9%) could explain 69.623% of total variance of the rrequired number for medical faculty members.Conclusion: Some of the factors like the volume of “research services” and “undergraduate training” should be considered in estimating the staffing requirements of medical faculty members.