Research after fellowship

[jackinabox1]

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Resident currently in the fellowship match process here. I want to make an earnest go at academics and try to spend my 18 months of research time in fellowship in a bench or translational lab. If I am not able to get funded, how feasible is it for me to find an academic job where I can have enough time to do a pseudo-postdoc on the side? My concern isn't so much the money, but really maintaining my clinical skills while I do research.

 

[gutonc]

Resident currently in the fellowship match process here. I want to make an earnest go at academics and try to spend my 18 months of research time in fellowship in a bench or translational lab. If I am not able to get funded, how feasible is it for me to find an academic job where I can have enough time to do a pseudo-postdoc on the side? My concern isn't so much the money, but really maintaining my clinical skills while I do research.

Lots of places will be willing to give you an "instructor" level position to work part time clinically and part time in the lab. You'll need to figure out a way to fund your lab work, whether this is via grant or your PI having money to cover you. I did this for a year. My clinical income was all I got paid. My PI covered the costs of my work, but no salary. It was fine, but I didn't have enough research time to really make it work so after a year I went full clinical.

 

[jackinabox1]

Lots of places will be willing to give you an "instructor" level position to work part time clinically and part time in the lab. You'll need to figure out a way to fund your lab work, whether this is via grant or your PI having money to cover you. I did this for a year. My clinical income was all I got paid. My PI covered the costs of my work, but no salary. It was fine, but I didn't have enough research time to really make it work so after a year I went full clinical.

Thanks so much for the response. Aside from the financial consequences (I know that's a big part of the calculus for most people), do you think it's feasible to hop around high impact labs every two years or so, until you land a good mentor/circumstance and can successfully push for K grant?

 

[gutonc]

Thanks so much for the response. Aside from the financial consequences (I know that's a big part of the calculus for most people), do you think it's feasible to hop around high impact labs every two years or so, until you land a good mentor/circumstance and can successfully push for K grant?

This is literally the worst career development plan I’ve ever heard.

 

[osprey099]

Resident currently in the fellowship match process here. I want to make an earnest go at academics and try to spend my 18 months of research time in fellowship in a bench or translational lab. If I am not able to get funded, how feasible is it for me to find an academic job where I can have enough time to do a pseudo-postdoc on the side? My concern isn't so much the money, but really maintaining my clinical skills while I do research.

God bless fellows like you who are willing to take academic/research positions

 

[jackinabox1]

God bless fellows like you who are willing to take academic/research positions

Lol, I know I'm a stubborn idiot, but those are traits that you need to succeed in academics right? I'm more wandering why hopping around every 2 years is a bad idea. Don't post-docs do that until they get the break they need or until they go into industry?

 

[HemOncCheng]

Resident currently in the fellowship match process here. I want to make an earnest go at academics and try to spend my 18 months of research time in fellowship in a bench or translational lab. If I am not able to get funded, how feasible is it for me to find an academic job where I can have enough time to do a pseudo-postdoc on the side? My concern isn't so much the money, but really maintaining my clinical skills while I do research.

as far as I heard, mid size university program can offer you position as long as you have some good/decent clinic research paper/manuscript if your lab research does not pan out

 

[HemOncCheng]

as far as I heard, mid size university program can offer you position as long as you have some good/decent clinic research paper/manuscript if your lab research does not pan out

I meant AP/faculty position, but you research time is no more than 2 days, and mostly clinic, and research is mostly clinical research

 

[randomhemoncpd]

With all due respect if you can’t get any sort of funding as you transition to being an attending, being a primarily research physician probably isn’t the cards. No one is going to protect 60-80% of your time if you have no independent funding. If you’re going to be competitive for a K it should happen very early in your career. There’s a reason why the attrition rate is so high, even for people who get YIAs and K awards.

 

[CatFactorial]

Resident currently in the fellowship match process here. I want to make an earnest go at academics and try to spend my 18 months of research time in fellowship in a bench or translational lab. If I am not able to get funded, how feasible is it for me to find an academic job where I can have enough time to do a pseudo-postdoc on the side? My concern isn't so much the money, but really maintaining my clinical skills while I do research.

Very similar. I was a fellow who tried to make an earnest go at academics and spent 36 months of research time in heme/onc fellowship in a pulmonary/allergy lab, had a go at a mouse model, did not get funded beyond institutional grants, and then bravely gave up.

I’m a much happier and better funded clinical attending.