You may naturally want to enlist clinicians with the highest profiles and greatest degree of respect in the community. These credentials may be important, but we recommend you also consider their availability. Advisory board members play a critical role in study club sessions, so will they be able to attend all meetings and answer questions as case management is discussed? Will they be available to answer questions on the phone and during non-practice hours? Advisory board members should also be able to relate easily to other club members and recognize the benefits of creating a rich, educational environment.
Plan to select one advisor for every 10 members so you will be able to have a specialist at each clinical session. If you need to be careful about not excluding any specialists, invite them all to participate, and they can either pair up for the clinical sessions or rotate throughout the year.
At some point you may need to articulate how serving in this role benefits the advisor. As we see it, there are benefits on several levels. There is certainly an element of prestige derived from being recognized in the community for a level of skill and standard of care. Study club creates many opportunities to teach—which are simultaneously great opportunities to learn—so personal growth certainly figures in. Business development factors in because patient referrals may be offered as an expression of gratitude from the director or other advisors, and club members may more readily refer. Ultimately, involvement gives each advisor a voice, the chance to be part of development and programming, the chance to build a legacy.