Postdoctoral Fellowships: A Critical Step Beyond the PhD in the Training of Physical Therapists

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Fall 2006 by Earhart, Gammon M, Lang, Catherine E

All of these efforts will help to bring the importance of postdoctoral training to the forefront, a move that is critical to our success in developing a strong foundation of knowledge to drive evidence-based practice in the future. Recommendations numbers one and two are beyond the control of the authors, but in an effort to address recommendation number three, the following section provides information and resources for those interested in pursuing postdoctoral research.

Characteristics of a Desirable Postdoctoral Experience

The following characteristics are essential to a postdoctoral experience that will provide the most benefit to the individual and therefore, ultimately, to the profession. A postdoc should have opportunity and encouragement to publish results in peer-reviewed journals. A postdoc should have opportunities to participate in grant writing with mentor support for the fellow to obtain external funding to support his or her own work. The experience should also allow for networking with colleagues in the same field and other disciplines, fostered by the mentor and enhanced by presenting results at scientific meetings on the local, national, and international levels. Finally, during the postdoc years, the fellow should develop new skills, techniques, a command of the literature, and ideally a line of research that they can take with them into their first faculty position.

CONCLUSIONS

Postdoctoral training for PTs is currently undervalued, as evidenced by the lack of attention postdoctoral training receives from institutions seeking faculty members and from professional organizations surveying PTs with respect to highest level of education. Postdoctoral work has multiple benefits to postdoctoral trainees, mentors, institutions, and, perhaps most importantly, to the physical therapy profession. By encouraging postdoctoral training, these benefits can be reaped with the ultimate result: the creation of a pool of independent, funded scientists working to advance the knowledge base we use for evidence-based practice.

Additional Resources/Recommended Readings

There are a number of Web sites that offer useful information regarding the postdoctoral experience and career development. A partial list of these is provided in Table 2, along with information about content of each site and addresses that can be used to subscribe to listservs that regularly advertise post-doctoral positions as well as more senior academic, industrial, and government positions. Table 2 also includes a list of recommended readings.

REFERENCES

1. FASEB Postdoctoral Fellow Definition. Available at: http://opa.faseb.org/pdf/pstdocdef.pdf.

2. Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2000.

3. Physical Therapist Member Demographic Profile 1994-2004. American Physical Therapy Association. Available at: http://www.apta.org/ AMA"emplate.cfrn?Section=Demographicsdf Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentID= 25286. Accessed August 2006.