A Comprehensive Career-Success Model for Physician–Scientists

Abstract

With today’s focus on the translation of basic science discoveries into clinical practice, the demand for physician-scientists is growing. Yet, physicians have always found it challenging to juggle the demands of clinical care with the time required to perform research. The Research on Careers Workgroup of the Institute for Clinical Research Education at the University of Pittsburgh developed a comprehensive model for career success that would address, and allow for the evaluation of, the personal factors, organizational factors, and their interplay that contribute to career success. With this model, leaders of training programs could identify early opportunities for intervening with potential physician-scientists to ensure career success. Through an iterative process described in this article, the authors identified and examined potential models for career success from the literature, added other elements determined to be significant, and developed a comprehensive model to assess factors associated with career success for physician-scientists. The authors also present examples of ways in which this model can be adapted and applied to specific situations to assess the effects of different factors on career success.

Systems of Career Influences: A Conceptual Model for Evaluating the Professional Development of Women in Academic Medicine

“…Consistent with previously described career models, [16][17][18] our Systems of Career Influences Model includes dynamic systems of influence that mediate progress along the pathway of advancement: individual choices and decisions about personal and professional activities ( Fig. 1, left) and organizational policies, practices, and culture that guide institutional strategy and mediate societal expectations that lead to gender bias ( Fig.…”

Understanding Career Success and Its Contributing Factors for Clinical and Translational Investigators

“…We designed a semi-structured interview guide, which included questions that covered the main elements in the Rubio model of physician-scientist career success, 16 such as psychosocial factors, education, personality (research motivation, passions, leadership, professionalism), career support, professional responsibilities, and success factors. We also included questions about career plans, concerns, regrets, and factors that helped or hindered career progress.…”

“…Since organizational factors could play a role in career success, 16 we wanted participants to come from a number of institutions across the United States. We chose to include alumni from KL2 programs and the KL2 program precursor, the Roadmap K12 (hereafter referred to collectively as “KL2”), because we assumed that institutions with CTSAs would provide substantial centralized support for their KL2 scholars.…”

“…We began coding with deductively derived codes, based on the Rubio model, 16 adding to these codes inductively as themes emerged. We used memos to develop data interpretation and consulted the relevant literature to help us refine our understanding of inductively emerging theories.…”

“…Rubio and colleagues 16 suggested a comprehensive model of career success for physician-scientists that has yet to be tested empirically. It details the personal and organizational factors that contribute to various types of success, which may be extrinsic or intrinsic.…”