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Review
. 2011 Dec;86(12):1571-6.
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31823592fd.

A comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists

Doris M Rubio  1 , Brian A Primack, Galen E Switzer, Cindy L Bryce, Deborah L Seltzer, Wishwa N Kapoor
Affiliations
Review

A comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists

Doris M Rubio et al. Acad Med. 2011 Dec.

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.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Visual representation of a comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists developed by the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education Research on Careers Workgroup, 2010.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Three submodels hypothesizing the associations between gender and promotion in career development, based on a comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists developed by the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education Research on Careers Workgroup, 2010. Submodel A shows a negative link between one personal factor (female gender) and one career-success factor (promotion). Submodel B includes two personal factors (female gender and dependent care) plus one career-success factor (promotion). Submodel C adds an organizational factor (mentoring). According to our model, if the need to provide dependent care acts as a mediator and decreases the chances of promotion for a physician-scientist, then the introduction of mentoring may counter this effect and increase the chances of promotion.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Submodel hypothesizing the relationship between research experience and leadership positions, based on a comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists developed by the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education Research on Careers Workgroup, 2010According to the model, if greater self-efficacy acts as a mediator, then the association of self-efficacy with leadership may be enhanced by an increase in institutional financial support and a decrease in clinical and/or educational responsibilities.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Submodel hypothesizing how personality, psychosocial milieu, and extrinsic success factors are linked with career satisfaction, based on a comprehensive career-success model for physician-scientists developed by the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education Research on Careers Workgroup, 2010. According to the model, to determine the direction and strength of the associations, this submodel could be evaluated with multivariable analysis methods (e.g., linear or logistic regression).
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