Hi everyone, here is the paper I presented today at CICE. Since it is in the proceedings and people have taken photos of my presentation, I will make it available here. Enjoy!
Innovative
Integration of Professional Development into the Curriculum for Bioscience
Graduate Students
Nana Lee and Reinhart Reithmeier
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
Abstract
To accommodate the changing career and professional
skills required for graduate students in the current and future employment market,
we are implementing an innovative approach to graduate education at the University of Toronto. With the increasing
production of graduate students and severe competition for academic research
funding, an increasing pool of PhD students are leading roles in business,
finance, social programs, government, start-ups, education and other areas
outside the traditional academia. We propose a much needed supplement in the
curriculum of higher education to help train the future scientific leaders both
in and out of academia. The graduate professional development course trains the
graduate student in areas of communication, leadership, taking initiative,
problem-solving, creative ways in serving the world with their science and passion,
thinking “outside the box,” mentorship, ethics, achieving and developing a
successful academic or nonacademic career while integrating family and outside
interests.
1. Introduction
University higher
education was established to train and cultivate new university professors. A
national survey of over 4,000 doctorate students showed that today’s doctoral
programs show a “mismatch between student goals, training and actual careers”
[1]. Current surveys have shown that more bioscience graduate students choose
nonacademic careers, due to fierce competition for academic positions or other
reasons. According to Helm et al [2], four types of graduate students emerge
from doctoral programs: 1) those pursuing academic careers who eventually
acquire such positions, 2) those who prefer to teach versus research and
acquire positions in community colleges, 3) those whose first choice is
academia, but are unable to do so and are forced to seek nonacademic positions,
4) those who choose a nonacademic career altogether. The current rate of PhD
production has increased to a “surplus” [3, 4], and new PhDs must work in
nonacademic positions where other skills besides research are just as
important.
Employers seek
out skills such as communications, leadership, administration, interpersonal
skills, and technology skills [5]. Other skills include creativity, initiative,
maintaining life balance and wellness, networking, and mentorship. Academic
curriculum are misaligned with the PhD student’s career options and intentions
and restructuring graduate education has been proposed since 2000 [5].
Professors are apt to mentor and advise with academic issues but most are not
aware of the nonacademic directions available to students. Graduate students
are left finding their own guidance through student-run career organizations,
societies, and websites.
Higher education
administration has the responsibility to guide its graduate students throughout
their career development, whether it may be academia or not. Tools, resources
and skills should be made available from the first year of graduate school, and
throughout their graduate experience as studies have shown shifts in career
trajectories through time [2]. We are proposing a pilot course at the University of Toronto to all Biochemistry graduate
students so they are aware of career development options and skills to be
acquired during their graduate studies, outside the realm of scientific
experiments. We hope that such changes in the curriculum will better prepare
the graduate student in pursuing a rewarding and satisfying career during and
after their academic studies. We also hope that with the acquired career
transitions skills, students can apply them throughout their early, mid, and
later years as a scientist. We envision this course to serve as the foundation
in a long-term goal of establishing a collaborative program within the
university to serve the need for career development and leadership skills for
graduate students.
2. Body of Knowledge
Current career development workshops
for bioscience graduate students are student-run organizations (Life Science
Career Development Society), but they do not reach all students, and most
students do not think career development is a priority early in their graduate
studies. Mentoring programs do exist (Life Sciences Ontario,) but at the
financial expense of the student. Organizations such as MITACS also provide
industrial fellowships that match companies with PhDs and postdoctoral fellows;
however, not all applicants receive a position. Although career centers do
provide excellent workshops, they are mostly marketed and geared towards
undergraduates. The pursuit of career development in graduate school is
sometimes discouraged as running another experiment to publish is deemed as
more important.
Through recent
career symposiums and discussions with life science graduate students at the University of Toronto, not many had a mentor
outside of academia and “soft’ skills had not been sought after and developed
throughout their graduate career. Many were not aware of the nonacademic career
options available. Some were not aware of the importance of LinkedIn and social
media networking. Skills such as oral and written communications, finding the
hidden job market, finding appropriate career mentors, leadership, conflict
negotiation, client relations, and life balance need to be integrated with the
academic curriculum to ensure the success of our trained students. The curriculum
must also include career and life development skills as career paths change
with marriage, family, aging parents, and outside interests. Women scientists,
in particular, should be provided with the resources available with maternity
leave options and the fellowships available upon their return (CIHR, NSERC.)
They must be given the options and tools required to re-enter the system after
childbirth and childrearing.
Helm et al [2]
proposed nine recommendations for graduate student administrators which are
briefly summarized here: 1) provide tailored career services through
departmental collaborations, 2) offer programs so students can explore
nonacademic career options, 3) encourage internships and job shadowing, 4)
assess PhD programs for all types of careers so students develop in teaching,
research, service and outreach, 5) expose students to different career paths
via alumni, 6) help students understand the range of roles they will have as
faculty and range of institutions available for employment, 7) provide
professional development workshops, 8) adapt faculty awareness so that advisors
can support student’s career path regardless of their choice, 9) develop a PhD
database to track career pathways to provide faculty and students a realistic
picture of the PhD job market. A program at U of Toronto which can address
these and the previously mentioned recommendations can provide bioscience
graduate students career guidance during their studies (early, intermediate,
and later) and alumni with career transition services through websites, forums,
discussion groups, and one-on-one consults.
With the career
transition skills acquired through the proposed course and continued career
consulting, the graduated scientist can use these throughout her/his career, as
the science career outside academia is usually dynamic and changes every few
years. Mid-life scientists also undergo career changes as companies restructure
with economic and science-based transitions within the biotechnology market. As
retirement age approaches, most scientists from academia and industry, still
desire to contribute. Career transitions skills are also needed in finding ways
to maintain scientific connections with roles such as publishing books,
establishing non-profits, board memberships, fundraising, continual mentorship,
and outreach programs. These early, mid and later life career changes are very
individualized, but the acquisition of career transition skills will certainly
help with each experience.
Other graduate
departments at UCSD, USC, Michigan State, NCSU offer a graduate student career
development and leadership program, led by a faculty director. The long-term
goal at U of Toronto is to establish a similar program in conjunction with
Career Services, Student Life, Continuing Studies (Mentoring,) OISE, Institute
of Wellness, Life Science Career Development Society, U of Toronto Postdoctoral
Association, School of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Medicine and partner with
corporate sponsorships which fund leadership programs in higher education. The
proposed pilot course will provide preliminary feedback to establish a
long-term goal of such an innovative program at the University of Toronto.
3. Conclusion
To meet the need
for more graduate students choosing nonacademic careers, we are establishing a
graduate level course focused on cultivating the professional development
skills required to succeed during and beyond graduate school education in the biosciences.
It is offered to all entering graduate students and strongly recommended for
current MSc, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Interactive lectures will
include expert lecturers and classroom discussions regarding the practical
aspects of succeeding in graduate school, choosing and training as a
postdoctoral fellow, integrating family commitments, career options in and out
of academia, career transitions, internships, and developing strong
communication skills. Topics to discuss include effective networking, best
methods of searching for and landing the job, management of start-up biotech
companies, global scientific issues, bioethics, outreach, clinical
applications, social implications, maintaining career development, finding a
mentor, and the importance of clear communication with mentors. Students will
develop skills in writing proposals for scientists and the general public.
Students will also develop skills in oral communication through actual networking
and presentations in class. Most classes will be followed by a question and
answer period with guest speakers from various industries and careers such as
those from Patent Law, Biotech Toronto, Career Centre, Office of Research
Ethics, Management Consulting, Science Writing, Health Policy Management
Evaluation, Public Health, MaRs, OICR, Government, Non-Profit Organizations,
Education and World Issues. Included with the class is personalized career
consulting for each student, specific to each individual’s career and life
goals.
We envision that
the pilot course will grow so that all bioscience graduate students at the
University of Toronto will be trained with these skills and tools in the near
future. We also hope to develop a collaborative career and leadership program
to provide an innovative and much needed service to all current graduate
students and alumni bioscientists from the Faculty of Medicine. Another
long-term goal includes a creation of a national network with all graduate
departments in Canadian universities to share mentors, internship
opportunities, alumni experiences and other career development programs.
4. References
[1] Golde, C.M. and Dore, T.M.
“At Cross Purposes: What the Experiences of Today’s Doctoral Students Reveal
About Doctoral Education.” Pew Charitable Trusts. 2001.
[2] Matt Helm, Henry Campa, III, and Kristin
Moretto. “Professional Socialization for the PhD: An Exploration of Career and
Professional Development Preparedness and Readiness for PhD Candidates” Journal
of Faculty Development. Vol. 26, No. 2, May 2012. 5-23.
[3] “Doctoral Degrees The
Disposable Academic: Why Doing a PhD is Often a Waste of Time, Dec 16, 2010.
The Economist.
[4] David Cyranoski, Natasha
Gilbert, Hedi Ledford, Anjali Nayar, Mohammed Yahia. “The World is Producing
more PhDs than ever Before. Is it Time to Stop?” Nature. 20 472, 276-279, April 2011.
[5] Jody Nyquist and Donald H. Wulff.
“Envisioning the PhD: Recommendations from National Studies on Doctoral
Education.” 2000.
