Abstract
Background: Given national calls for intentional career development during graduate and post-graduate scientific training, this study assessed career readiness development within the context of academic career courses. The current study evaluated the effects of academic career courses offered at two institutions that were specifically designed to increase career awareness, interest, and career-related confidence among doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. Methods: Participants enrolled in a career course at trainees' respective academic institutions and responded to pre- and post-course surveys (n=32, n=148). The paper offers a thematic analysis of each of the two courses using an individualized learning plan career development framework and describes the results of their respective pretest-posttest evaluations which indicated increases in career readiness. Results: Though the format and content provided in each course varied, participation was associated with increases in career readiness. Participants reported increased career-awareness including a greater familiarity with different types of careers overall. Furthermore, interest in tenure track faculty careers increased in both samples, which may assuage fears that exposure to diverse career pathways could reduce interest in academic careers. Transferrable skills, including career planning and awareness also significantly increased. Course participants reported an increase in the number and type of mentors they interacted with beyond their principal faculty mentor (other faculty, professional PhDs, peers, and administrative staff). Conclusions: Findings provide supporting evidence for the benefits of implementing structured career development efforts during PhD training; even with varying content, delivery methods, and instructor type, both academic career courses led to significant gains in career awareness and readiness. Successful development and delivery of academic career courses, with a focus on career planning skills, suggest that institutions can utilize these and are an effective way to prepare PhDs for their transition from training positions into careers.
Highlights
Traditionally, doctoral and postdoctoral training employs a model by which graduate students and postdoctoral fellows work under the guidance and mentorship of experienced faculty members to prepare for similar careers in academia
The purpose of this study was to: (a) use a career development framework from which to conduct a thematic analysis of the course content, and (b) analyze course evaluations to assess whether adding a career development course shows promise in facilitating doctoral and postdoctoral trainees’ career exploration skills, as well as consideration of alternative career opportunities beyond academia
The Hope is Not a Plan (HINAP) course evaluation strategy included measures of career confidence, career and professional mentorship, career path familiarity, and included a rich commentary descriptive in nature, the results include qualitative themes that explore whether and how participation in the course was associated with helping biomedical trainees consider diverse career pathways
Summary
Doctoral and postdoctoral training employs a model by which graduate students and postdoctoral fellows work under the guidance and mentorship of experienced faculty members to prepare for similar careers in academia. In the biomedical sciences, this often includes mentorship from a primary faculty advisor in expectation of one day becoming a principal investigator as well. This trend is evident across disciplines, in recent decades and in the biomedical sciences in particular, the number of doctoral trainees has grown more quickly than the number of faculty positions available (NIH, 2012; Stephan, 2012). The current study evaluated the effects of academic career courses offered at two institutions that were designed to increase career awareness, interest, and career-related confidence among doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.
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