As the CLIC web site manager, in this LIC administrator’s homepage, I feel privileged to provide a conduit wherein my fellow LIC administrators can access and share ideas about best practices related to our roles as LIC administrators.

As LIC administrators, we often manage a complex hub of expectations, functioning as the interface for our universities’ academic/curricular components and functioning as the first point of contact for our students and for our LIC faculty. We are responsible for correct understanding and dissemination of programmatic/curricular expectations, for managing student expectations and concerns, and to provide ongoing support to our LIC sites (scheduling, curriculum, budgeting, faculty development, etc.). Particularly in programs where LIC-style education has been added on rather than part of the school’s initial curriculum, so much of what we do focuses on building good communication and relationship among all parties: academic affairs, sponsoring departments, students and LIC faculty. In all of this, our roles are often behind the scenes (hats off to the introverts!), which provides much wiggle room for creative thinking and problem solving, and which is why so many of us love our work. In all of this, I would say we very much appreciate being on a team and being part of a job well done.

Of course, when you understand one LIC, you understand one LIC. All our roles vary widely across medical schools. The administrative roles of an urban LIC will be much different than that of a rural LIC. And our roles as “support” staff can be widely appreciated or under appreciated. Having access to other LIC administrators offers an opportunity to check in with others and may provide a space of empowerment within our roles at our institutions. I would add, the hosting countries of the annual CLIC conferences have done an outstanding job of recognizing the importance of LIC administrators by providing a similar space for us at the conferences.

In this section of the CLIC web site, I encourage you to submit any best practices you have developed at your institution that can be shared. You can do this by submitting via this form for possible formal inclusion on the CLIC web site, or you can access the LIC Administrator’s social media page, hosted by Jakki Janero at Colorado State University School of Medicine, for more informal, group-based conversations.

I look forward to further engagement,

Bernadette Duperron

Program Administrator, Montana WWAMI Clinical Education, Montana WRITE LIC | UW Medicine