Postdoctoral Study: Structure Characteristics and Current Nursing Programs

Structure and Characteristics of Postdoctoral Study

As part of its report on postdoctoral education, the AAU (2003, p. 3) recommended the following definition of a postdoctoral experience:

• The appointee was recently awarded a PhD or equivalent doctorate (eg ScD, MD) in an appropriate field
• The appointment is temporary
• The appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship
• The appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career
• The appointment is not part of a clinical training program
• The appointee works under the supervision of a senior scholar or a department at a university or similar research institution (eg national laboratory, NIH) and
• The appointee has the freedom, and is expected, to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of the appointment.

There is no single structure for postdoctoral programs. The goals of enhancing/augmenting research skills learned in a doctoral program can be accomplished in a variety of ways. The AAU report (2003) highlighted the extreme flexibility and lack of policies for postdoctoral programs. Postdoctoral appointments often have no limits, lack consistent campus-wide compensation policies, have limited formal job placement procedures, lack quality control, and depend on word of mouth recruitment.

In nursing, the structure of the postdoctoral experience also varies, depending on the source of funding and other factors. NIH institutional postdoctoral grants (T32), individual postdoctoral funding mechanisms (F32), and Career Development Awards (K01) provide more structure through the guidelines for these mechanisms. Applications for these awards require the formulation of clear goals and outcomes for the postdoctoral fellowship.

The applicant is also required to identify specific activities and resources needed to support achievement of goals. Generally, additional coursework is not a major focus and is, therefore, limited. The emphasis is on working with a mentor(s), presenting papers at scholarly meetings and publishing manuscripts based on the dissertation research or other recent work, attending interdisciplinary seminars on campus and scholarly conferences, conducting pilot research, developing a grant proposal for the next step in the program of research, and meeting with other researchers (Albrecht and Greiner, 1992).

In order to achieve the goals of the postdoctoral experience, there are specific resources that are needed. A research active mentor is critical to the success of postdoctoral work (Byrne and Keefe, 2003). Mentoring may require an additional co-mentor and access to consultants. As research becomes more interdisciplinary, the inclusion of co-mentors and consultants from other disciplines is common.

Regular and focused interaction with the mentor(s) needs to be structured. Some additional coursework may be necessary to gain additional specific expertise needed for the identified area of research. Space, computer access and time are essential pragmatic resources. Finally, a productive research environment, preferably at an institution other than the one where the doctorate was earned, is needed to provide the context and resources to foster growth in research (Hinshaw and Lucas, 1993).

In fact, Donaldson (2002) contends, ‘The most important aspect of high-quality research training, whether pre- or postdoctoral, is the student’s participation in an interactive, competitive, multidisciplinary research enterprise’ (p. 1).

In nursing, the length of the postdoctoral fellowships generally is one to two years, with the preference being two years. Longer experiences are available depending upon the source of funding. For example, NIH K awards range from three to five years in length compared to one to two years for other mechanisms. The median duration of a postdoctoral fellowship is 2.5 years, but varies across disciplines from one year in engineering to 3.5–5 years in the life sciences and some physical sciences (Singer, 2000).

In other disciplines, there are concerns about fellows remaining in postdoctoral positions for too long a period and having multiple postdoctoral appointments. In these situations, it may be the case that positions are not available in the fellow’s field , and the post-doctorate serves as the ’employment’. These are not currently issues in nursing.

Application requirements vary across fellowships, but generally include a training plan, a research plan, description of the mentor, and a description of the research environment and resources. Supports for research, stipend, and benefits are generally available, but vary and are specific to the sources.

Current Postdoctoral Nursing Programs and Opportunities

In the USA, a growing number of options are available and used by nurses to obtain postdoctoral preparation. A number of these opportunities are through specific funding mechanisms sponsored by governmental agencies, foundations, and professional organizations or private industry, such as pharmaceutical companies; Individual researchers support others through their funded research projects. Consequently, there is no single published list of postdoctoral programs.

A recent online search for postdoctoral fellowships resulted in 94,200 hits and when limited to health, 51,600. Postdoctoral fellowships are concentrated in a small number of colleges and universities. Overall, approximately two-thirds of postdoctoral appointments are located in 50 of the nearly 350 doctorate-granting institutions (AAU, 2003). Among nursing schools, 25 of the 81 research doctoral programs report offering postdoctoral study (Berlin et al, 2002–2003).

Postdoctoral fellows are also located in other than academic institutions. While 80% are located in universities, 13% are in government and 7% in industrial settings (Singer, 2000). The funding opportunities include both government and foundation sources, specific professional organizations and educational institutions, from around the world. Sorting through all of the potential sources is a challenging task.

Trying to further specify the search to nursing was not fruitful. Clearly, not all of these sources may be open to nurse applicants, but as nurse scientists have gained stronger research preparation it is timely for them to apply to sources that are consistent with their research foci.

In the USA, the National Institutes of Health offer several funding mechanisms to support postdoctoral studies. The options through the National Institute of Nursing Research include the Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowships (F32), Senior NRSA Fellowship (F33), and Career Development Award (K award).

The National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) mechanism supports postdoctoral fellows, as well as predoctoral preparation. A listing of funding options and currently funded institutional predoctoral and postdoctoral programs is available on the National Institute of Nursing Research’s website, (http://www.nih.gov/ninr). The 27 institutional pre- and postdoctoral training grants listed include preparation across a variety of foci, including special populations such as women, children, families, elderly and across the spectrum of health promotion/risk reduction, and acute, and chronic illness.

Most offer postdoctoral fellowships. Similar mechanisms are available through other NIH institutes and nurses have been successful in obtaining funding from a number of these institutes (eg National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute). The requirement of US citizenship/non-citizen nationals, or permanent residence limits these opportunities for international scholars.

Other federal government fellowships are available from the Veterans Administration Postdoctoral Nurse Fellowship program. The Pfizer Postdoctoral Fellowship in Nursing Research: Innovations in Health Outcomes is an example of a non-governmental funding source.

The program is part of the Pfizer Medical and Academic Partnerships. The program offers two postdoctoral fellowships each year. Applications include a training plan, a research plan, and identification of a mentor. This option allows an individual to be in a faculty position while holding the fellowship. Funding is for two years at US$130,000 per year. Fellows have flexibility in how the funds are used.

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