MUSC Biomedical Trainee Retreat on the Responsible Conduct of Research

Edward Krug, PhD

Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology

Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs

College of Graduate Studies

“Career Planning”

12/04/2009

 “There are worse career plans than to obtain a Ph.D. For example, one could enter journalism to become a reporter for a major newspaper like the N.Y. Times in order to bring the truth to the people, only to find that newspapers are a dying business and are not interested in revealing the truth. Or one could study public administration to begin a career in government to provide better services, only to find governments being drowned in the bathtub. Or one could enlist in the military to make the world safe for democracy, only to find one's self dropping bombs on wedding parties.”

Che BeauchardManhattanNov. 2, 2013 at 5:47 p.m.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/finding-life-after-academia-and-not-feeling-bad-about-it.html?comments#permid=10426462

MUSC uses the NIH & NSF definition of a Postdoctoral Researcher

“An individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored

advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to

pursue his or her chosen career path.”

Defining the Dual Role of Graduate Students and Postdocs Supported by Research Grants (Sally Rockey @ NIH)

A new document published by OMB provides frequently asked questions (FAQs) about cost principles related to federal awards. As described in section 200.400-2 of the FAQ document it states: 

“For non-Federal entities that educate and engage students in research, the dual role of students as both trainees and employees contributing to the completion of Federal awards for research must be recognized in the application of these principles.” Staff in postdoctoral positions engaged in research, while not generally pursuing an additional degree, are expected to be actively engaged in their training and career development under their research appointments as Post-Docs. This dual role is critical in order to provide Post-Docs with sufficient experience and mentoring for them to successfully pursue independent careers in research and related fields.

http://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2014/10/10/defining-the-dual-role-of-graduate-students-and-postdocs-supported-by-research-grants/?utm_source=nexus&utm_medium=email&utm_content=nihupdate&utm_campaign=oct14

MUSC Postdoc Statistics 2011

• Defined as “work-based training” – temporary position• 205 postdoctoral researchers

– 55-60% US (~ 50% with fellowship/training grant support)– 40-45% internationals (32 different countries)– 5 colleges – COM, COP, COD, CON, CHP (~80% in basic

science labs)• Duration at MUSC

– average ~2 years (± 2 years) – ~90% at MUSC < 5 years

• $37,000 minimum support ($33,000 if no prior research)• 27 Staff scientists (similar demographics) – salaries $35,000 to

$99,990 with full benefits

“Work-based Training”

MUSC Employee

(Payroll - Salary)

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR

Training/Fellowship Grant

(not an MUSC Employee)

(Accounts Payable - Stipend)

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

MUSC Postdoctoral Classifications

Postdoctoral Fellows …..

• are not MUSC employees• receive stipends through Accounts Payable• will not receive any official notification of the amount

of their stipend• must submit estimated taxes quarterly - both federal

and state• declare their stipend amount on line 7 of Form 1040

as other income - denote as “SCH” • do not pay FICA and Medicare taxes

What are the career options for a postdoc?

• The majority want faculty jobs…• but there has only been a 32% increase in

tenure-track faculty positions since 1975 …• while the number of postdocs has increased

more than 400%.

L. Bonetta. Science Careers Aug 27, 2010.

http://www.aamc.org/members/great/meetings/h_garrison.pdf

• My PI encourages my intellectual development – 78% agreed

• My PI acts as a mentor – 70% agreed• Expectations were clearly stated by my PI at

the onset of my appointment – 38% disagreed

• Do you have a written individual development plan with your PI – 82% no

• Do you receive a performance review from your PI at least annually – 65% no

MUSC Postdoctoral Development Survey 2009

Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey 2005

The mere process of having a written Individual Development Plan of training

objectives and milestones correlates with significantly greater productivity and

career satisfaction.

Who doesn’t want 40% more publications per year!

Or to feel 40% more satisfied!

Or have 60% fewer conflicts!

Start with a career assessment

Elements of an Individual Development Plan:• Establish the duration of your postdoc appointment• Identify specific skills and strengths that you need to

develop• Define the approaches to acquiring those skills and

strengths • Establish an anticipated time line for acquiring those

skills and strengths• Implement the plan• Periodically review your progress• Revise the plan as necessary

This should be done in conjunction with your PI (at some level)

Career Objectives:“Plan A” - “Plan B” - Assess your skills:• What are my strengths?• What are my weaknesses? • How am I utilizing my strengths in my current position?• How do my weaknesses impact my productivity?• What am I doing to strengthen my areas of weakness?

 Outline your long-term career objectives:

• What type of work would I like to be doing 5 years from now? • What is important to me in a career? • How do non-work issues (e.g. family, lifestyle, etc) relate to my career aspirations? •  

Establish a plan to achieve your career objective:• Are my strengths consistent with my career ambitions?• What specific skills do I need for my career objective?• What opportunities are there for me to acquire those skills that I lack?• How long will it take me to acquire those skills?• Where can I seek mentoring related to my intended career?

MUSC Individual Development Planning Questionnaire 

You need to make a time line!

And update it periodically!

Even if it makes you nauseous!

Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sept Oct-Dec

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Example Time Line Matrix

Some Career Planning Resources:

• National Postdoctoral Association http://www.nationalpostdoc.org

• http://chronicle.com/jobs/100/700/• http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/#tips• http://www.training.nih.gov/webforms/postdoctor

al/application/adIndex.aspx• http://careers.biospace.com/jobs/• http://www.postdocjobs.com/• http://www.tedjob.com/• http://www.biocareercenter.com/allschools/signu

p.html?s=8• http://www.findapostdoc.com/• http://www.phds.org/postdoc/postdoctoral-fellow

ships/• http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/

1. Principal investigator in a research-intensive institution

2. Research staff in a research-intensive institution3. Research in industry4. Combined research and teaching career5. Teaching-intensive careers in academia6. Science education for K-12 schools7. Science education for non-scientists8. Clinical practice9. Clinical research management10. Public health related careers11. Scientific/medical testing12. Drug/device approval and production13. Support of science-related products14. Science writing15. Research administration16. Science policy17. Intellectual property18. Business of science19. Entrepreneurship20. Sales and marketing of science-related products

1

3

4

5

6

2

How are you going to achieve your career goal?

1. what do you know about this career?2. why is this career interesting?3. what will you do to find out more about this career?4. how will you approach obtaining a job in this career?