Planning for your future

How to pick a career and negotiate a job

Skip BrassFrancisco Gonzalez-Scarano

Roger GreenbergAimee Payne

December 11, 2009

University of PennsylvaniaSchool of Medicine

residency?

postdoc?

Otherstuff

The bridge years

get a job

Residency

Postdoc

Job searchMed schoolGrad school

graduation

The bridge: 6+ years

The bridge years: Step #1

Decide on your career goals• Physician? Scientist? Educator? Administrator? • How much time to each?• Academic center? Research institute? Industry?• Full time research?• Full time clinical practice?• Professional time Vs. everything else?

Source: http://www.aamc.org/data/facultyroster/reports.htm

MD-PhD clinical dept

MD-PhD basic science deptMD’s in

clinical deptPhD basic science dept

The bridge years: Step #2

Decide if your goals require more training*• Residency (then postdoc) Vs. postdoc (no residency)• Will you continue to practice medicine?• Is your goal to be in a clinical department? (then you

will probably need a license and a board certificate)• Clinical research? (then you will likely need specific

training)

*they probably will

The bridge years: Step #3

If you are a physician, decide which clinical field fits your goals & talents

• Choose something you will enjoy and find challenging, but also ask:– Does the field value research or does it place a higher

priority on clinical service?– Will the field of your choice protect the time needed for

meaningful research?– Have you explored your choice from a faculty perspective

and not just from the med student perspective (they are very different points of view)?

The bridge years: Step #4

Choose your residency/postdoc carefully• If postdoc, then go where the best science is. Ditto for fellowship

after residency.• If residency, go where they value your goals.

– Do you want high quality, intensive clinical training? Many places will offer that. There are other factors to consider as well.

– Get back to research ASAP.– Different clinical fields and different programs value research differently.

The bridge years: Step #5

Prepare for the job search• Hiring new tenure track faculty is expensive and it will be awhile

before you can cover your costs. The person who hires you will want to be as certain as possible that you will succeed.– Success in the post-residency/postdoc years is used to predict

subsequent success– Demonstrate your skills along the way, by completing projects,

publishing manuscripts and obtaining grant funding (e.g. K awards)• Find mentors. Make contacts with people who can attest to your

qualities and/or collaborate with you in the future.• Most physician-scientists are in clinical departments.

http://grants1.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm

Look for opportunities to compete for grants during grad school

http://grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm

Definitely compete for grants as a postdoc/fellow

Obtaining individual funding as a postdoc/fellow should be a high priority. Not only is it good practice for the future, it shows those who will hire you that you have an important skill.

K08

K12

K99/R00

Look for non-NIH opportunities as well

• American Association of University Women

• American Cancer Society • American Chemical Society • American Diabetes Association • American Federation for Aging

Research Scholarship• American Heart Association • American Physiological Society • American Society for Microbiology • American Society for

Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

• Ford Foundation Dissertation Diversity Fellowships

• Josephine de Karman Predoctoral Fellowship

• L’Oreal Foundation Women in Science

• NASA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship

• Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

• Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation Fellowship

• UNCF•Merck

NIH Extramural Data Book – last update May 2008 Data provided by the Division of Information Services, Reporting Branch TF 13

SUCCESS RATE OF KIRSCHSTEIN-NRSA POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP (F32) APPLICATIONS

Fiscal Year

Num

ber o

f App

licati

ons/

Aw

ards

Succ

ess

Rate

Reviewed Awarded Success Rate

F32 Postdoc Fellowships

25%

The bridge years

5 steps to success• #1 - Decide on your long term career goals• #2 - Decide if your goals require more training• #3 - Decide which field fits your goals & talents• #4 - Pick your residency/fellowship/postdoc carefully• #5 - Prepare yourself for the job search

Planning for your future

How to pick a career and negotiate a job

Skip BrassFrancisco Gonzalez-Scarano

Roger GreenbergAimee Payne

December 11, 2009