In response to the study by Levinson and colleagues [1], we describe a model that has worked well at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

In July 1985, the Division of General Internal Medicine required additional personnel. Three female physicians independently requested part-time work because of family responsibilities. The division chief and the administration agreed to allow all three women to work part-time, which was defined as 50% to 70% of full-time. The benefits included prorated vacation and sick leave, with the option of participating in the retirement plan. Malpractice was not paid, and no policy was created regarding promotion or tenure.

The part-time option steadily gained acceptance; other physicians chose to reduce their hours, and new part-time physicians were hired. By 1987, malpractice insurance had become prohibitively expensive. To meet the part-time faculty's need for paid malpractice coverage, a formal College faculty category called "full professional effort" was created. In this classification, all of a person's professional effort was under the College's auspices. Individuals in this category work at least half-time or more than 1000 hours per year. Malpractice coverage is paid, as are prorated vacation, sick leave, and retirement. The full professional effort faculty are promoted on the clinician-educator track, and the allowable time at each faculty rank is prorated according to percentage of effort.

Since allowing part-time work in 1985, no part-time faculty member has left our division. All part-time faculty appreciate the flexibility this arrangement has allowed them in balancing career and family.