Introduction
What exactly is a post-doctoral fellow? This professional development session explores what a “postdoc” is and does. Depending on career aspirations and where one is in their life, this is potential option after achieving one’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Three Lessons/Key Points
One key lesson and takeaway is that bottom line up front (BLUF), a post-doctoral fellowship is specialized training beyond the PhD. Since each researcher’s focus will vary person-to-person, depending on the fellowship area, these may not be for everyone. In the realm of nursing, many universities and colleges do not offer nursing post-doctoral fellowship opportunities; although PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs are readily available, typically graduates will enter research or continue their practice from there.
Another lesson learned and key takeaway centers around advancing someone’s else’s research, not necessarily one’s own. It’s understandable for post-doctoral fellowships to attract undecided or generalist graduates. For those still searching for their interests or wanting to solidify their research skills, this is a great option. This is made possible by principal investigators and/or main researchers partitioning part of their funding to offer said fellowship opportunity. One must be emotionally intelligent and assertive prior to accepting the fellowship to mitigate disappointment and dissatisfaction.
The third lesson and key takeaway is that post-doctoral fellowships are not made the same; the postdoc’s position depends on the funding type. An individual researcher may dedicate part of their funding for a fellowship opportunity, or the the funding can be aligned to an organization or center. This dictates training, mentoring, and networking opportunities. For example, the F32 grant provides training the postdoc lacks. However, the preceptor is not paid to mentor, but rather facilitate the research. Postdocs in these types of fellowships need to identify their own mentor or training opportunities.
Unanswered Question or One Piece of Advice
The one piece of advice I’d share with others inquiring about post-doctoral fellowships is to do your research… no pun intended. With each fellowship being different, researching the principal investigator’s research focus areas is imperative. These are paid positions and may require relocating, so committing to a program for the sake of resume-building is foolish.
Faculty Preparation
Although I am not in a PhD program, nursing does offer nuanced post-doctoral fellowship opportunities. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing offers several fellowships focuses on health economics, hypertension, and community-based research. This is where reviewing the fellowship’s purpose and goals is important. Johns Hopkins University is a top-ranked nursing school and as a result, I’d likely receive excellent mentoring, a decent salary, and a plethora of resources to support the research, it’s someone else’s research. However, my research areas do not necessarily align with the principal investigators’ foci, therefore, this will drastically effect my dedication and interest if selected.
Date Observed: Jun 29, 2024
Date Recorded: Oct 27, 2021