The International Clinician Educators (ICE)
Key Definitions
While CEs may hold formal administrative positions, this does not define their role. Rather, CEs function as education consultants, advising and assisting clinician teachers and health professions education leaders in the design and implementation of programs and instruments. By convention, Clinician Educator is capitalized, and abbreviated as ‘CE’.
The following definitions provide further context in distinguishing a CE. In the manner of a Venn diagram, there is overlap between CE competencies and these other roles. While these roles are not mutually exclusive, a CE is distinct from them.
A clinician teacher is a current or former clinician who has some role in the teaching and supervision of learners.
An academic physician has an academic appointment with a university and a clinical practice.
A health professions education leader oversees a defined education portfolio (e.g. residency training program, clinical clerkship, dean, etc.)
An education researcher has graduate training in research methodology and participates in a research program to answer education questions.
An educationalist is an individual with advanced training (e.g. PhD) in a field relevant to health professions education, and usually is not a clinician.
Clinician Educators and Scholarship
Scholarship in education is:
- An education line of inquiry, new perspective, innovation or new application
- Built upon theoretical frameworks, current evidence or best practice
- Publicly disseminated for peer review
- Archived for future reference
