{"id":10053,"date":"2011-04-05T15:58:24","date_gmt":"2011-04-05T19:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/?page_id=10053"},"modified":"2011-09-27T14:01:40","modified_gmt":"2011-09-27T18:01:40","slug":"practice-points","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/students\/policies\/practice-points\/","title":{"rendered":"Practice Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

Features of the Postdoctoral Population<\/h3>

\n
\n<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

SUMMARY POINTS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfThe postdoctoral years are a time to match one\u2019s education, training,
\nand interests with the changing world of employment options and to
\nacquire the skills necessary to enter that world.<\/p>\n

\u25cfA good postdoctoral experience is educational in the sense that it
\nsignificantly advances one\u2019s professional capabilities and increases
\none\u2019s technical abilities.<\/p>\n

\u25cfThe postdoctoral experience differs widely according to discipline,
\nsector, and source of funding.<\/p>\n

\u25cfMost postdocs are paid from the grant of a principal investigator and
\nare frequently called research associates. In such situations, they are
\noften treated as employees.<\/p>\n

\u25cfA smaller number of postdocs are paid by external, independent
\nmechanisms (e.g., US fellowships and training grants, foreign government
\ngrants). In such cases, they may be classified as students or
\nreceive no institutional classification and are called fellows.<\/p>\n

\u25cf\u201cResearch associates,\u201d \u201cfellows,\u201d and postdocs with other titles may
\nall perform the same functions in the same laboratories, and yet their
\ninstitutional title, tax status, compensation, and benefits may differ
\nin significant and often unintended ways.<\/p>\n

\u25cfThe greatest uncertainties and inequities occur in universities, where
\nmost postdocs work. In national and industrial facilities, postdocs
\nare usually treated like other temporary or contract employees and
\nreceive similar classification, compensation, and benefits.<\/p>\n

\u25cfAbout half the total US postdoctoral population consists of foreign
\ncitizens, half of whom choose to remain in the US after their
\nappointments.<\/p>\n

\u25cfForeign postdocs face extra challenges in mastering English, adapting
\nto American culture and style of work, achieving equitable compensation,
\nand dealing with visa requirements.<\/p>\n

\u25cfSupport mechanisms at host institutions to provide help for foreign
\npostdocs (e.g., with visas, tax laws, and language instruction) are not
\nuniform across the country.<\/p>\n

\u25cfAdditional information is needed about postdocs who are members
\nof underrepresented minorities; less is known about these groups
\nthan is known about foreign postdocs.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 National Academy of Sciences.\u00a0 All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Enhancing the Postdocs Experience for Scientists and Engineers<\/h3>
<\/em><\/p>\n

SUMMARY POINTS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfPostdocs should have the opportunity to enhance their research
\nexperience, become independent researchers, become known through
\npublishing and presenting their results at professional meetings, and
\nadvance their careers by networking with colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u25cfThey have the right to clear terms of appointment, appropriate compensation
\nand benefits, serious mentoring, and support in career planning
\nand finding a regular position.<\/p>\n

\u25cfPostdocs have dual responsibilities: 1) to acquire the experiences
\nthey need to advance their careers, and 2) to contribute to the program
\nthrough research accomplishments, personal growth, and interaction
\nwith others.<\/p>\n

\u25cfPostdocs share the responsibility with their adviser of communicating
\nwell regarding their progress and expectations.<\/p>\n

\u25cfIn planning careers, more postdocs are finding opportunities in nonacademic
\npositions, but they must take the initiative to learn about
\nacquiring the skills needed to qualify for entrance to growing employment
\nareas, often outside their specialty.<\/p>\n

\u25cfSome women postdocs face special problems because of their gender,
\nand have great difficulty in taking time to start a family.<\/p>\n

\u25cfGaining the right skills can make a large difference in finding rewarding
\npositions and expanding career choices. These include general
\nabilities such as clear writing, public speaking, leadership, teamwork,
\ncomputer skills, teaching, and mentoring.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 National Academy of Sciences.\u00a0 All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The Postdoc and the Adviser<\/h3>
<\/em><\/p>\n

SUMMARY POINTS<\/strong>
\n<\/em>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25cfAt the outset, advisers need to make clear their expectations of the
\npostdoc and learn about the postdoc\u2019s own expectations.<\/p>\n

\u25cfIn return for the postdoc\u2019s contributions, the adviser should both
\nprovide scientific and technical training and help the postdoc acquire
\nother necessary \u201ccareer\u201d skills, such as those that contribute to effective
\ncommunication, publication, grant writing, and management.<\/p>\n

\u25cfFrequent communication between postdoc and adviser helps prevent
\nproblems from growing into grievances.<\/p>\n

\u25cfAttending professional meetings is one of the most important ways a
\npostdoc can enhance professional visibility, gain confidence, and
\nbuild a network of contacts.<\/p>\n

\u25cfPostdocs need regular feedback on the quality and direction of their
\nwork, including written evaluations at least annually.<\/p>\n

\u25cfThe adviser should take the lead early and often in discussing ethical
\nstandards, including issues of authorship, credit, conflicts of interest,
\nand other ethical dilemmas.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 National Academy of Sciences.\u00a0 All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The Postdoc and the Institution<\/h3>
<\/em><\/p>\n

SUMMARY POINTS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfIn many institutions, the administration may have only an approximate
\npicture of the postdoctoral population and no policy to standardize
\ninstitutional status or benefits.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfAn important step is to establish postdoctoral policies on such matters
\nas titles, expected terms, and institutional status. This status may
\nstrongly affect benefits and other financial issues.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfSome institutions have established a postdoctoral office or officer to
\nserve as an information resource for postdocs and to organize programs
\nfor postdoc orientation, professional development, and career
\nservices. Such an office can also encourage good mentoring, act as
\nliaison between postdocs, advisers, and administrators, and track the
\npostdoctoral population.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfMany institutions offer financial and logistical support for postdoctoral
\nassociations, which constitute a vehicle for discussing issues
\nof concern to postdocs, building a social network, and communicating
\nwith the administration.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfSome institutions are experimenting with the use of \u201cmentoring
\ncommittees\u201d to provide additional perspective and guidance to the
\npostdoc.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfInstitutions can help resolve grievances by establishing mechanisms,
\nincluding an ombudsperson, to work toward conflict resolution.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfEach institution should ensure that foreign postdocs have a resource
\nperson or office to advise them on such issues as acculturation, visa
\ncompliance, income taxes, and language skills.<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Funding <\/h3>
<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

SUMMARY POINTS<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfFunding organizations can play an important role in promoting the
\neducational component of the research they fund. This role includes
\nthe support of career development and guidance to supplement scientific
\nand technical training.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfOne of the most frequent complaints from postdocs is the low level
\nof compensation provided by funding organizations relative to the
\nskills and experience of the postdoc.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfMany funding levels, especially in the life sciences, reflect the model
\npay scale used by the NIH for its NRSAs, which provide a stipend
\nfor first-year trainees of $26,256. The NIH and NSF should recognize
\nthat they have a de facto role in setting stipend levels that are
\nfollowed by others and develop criteria by which to adjust these
\nlevels.
\n\u25cfThe underlying assumption of most traineeships or fellowships is
\nthat the postdoctoral scholar receives, in addition to the stipend, both
\ntechnical instruction and career guidance that can lead to improved
\nabilities and career satisfaction in the future. Funding organizations
\ncan work toward ensuring that the acquisition of career skills and
\ncareer development is indeed part of the postdoctoral experience.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfMost postdocs are paid directly as employees on a PIs research grant.
\nThe NIH and other funding organizations have few mechanisms to
\nmonitor the experience of these postdocs, and they tend to regard the
\nadministration of research grants as the institution\u2019s responsibility.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cfFunding organizations can promote good oversight and guidance of
\npostdocs through requests for mentoring information on proposal
\nforms, promotion of mentoring committees, limits on the length of
\nappointments, support for health care benefits, and support of teaching
\nactivities by postdocs.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4137,"featured_media":0,"parent":5393,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10053"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10053"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39661,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10053\/revisions\/39661"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}