Development and Evaluation of Online Career Development Workshops for Trainees from Multiple Institutions Transitioning to Academic and Industry Careers
Presenter Status
Fellow
Abstract Type
Basic Research
Primary Mentor or Principal Investigator
Adeline Yang
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
19-5-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
19-5-2026 12:00 PM
Abstract Text
Background:
The transition from trainee to career professional is a critical milestone, yet best practices on career preparation are not well defined and multi-institutional efficacy studies are rare. Experiential workshops can be helpful for such transitions as trainees seek careers across academia, industry, and government.
Select studies of early-career MD, PhD, or mixed cohorts in preparatory sessions with peer/faculty mentorship demonstrate high rates of grant success and academic appointments. Attendees favored small groups with individualized feedback.2-5 Incorporating these practices, we developed trainee-led multi-institutional workshops focused on critical skills and deliverables for a successful career launch.
Objectives/Goal:
This study addresses the design and efficacy of postgraduate-level, multi-institutional, interprofessional career preparation workshops.
Methods/Design:
We developed trainee-led multi-institutional workshops focused on critical skills and deliverables for a successful career launch. This study addresses the design and efficacy of postgraduate-level, multi-institutional, interprofessional career preparation workshops. Sessions begin with pre-surveys and topic introduction; leads/mentors provide personal examples of their work. Attendees then share their feedback and personal work for group discussion. Sessions conclude with learning highlights and post-surveys. Two sessions per working group include alumni panels on career transitions, mentorship, and job selection.
Results:
Early results demonstrated that attendees experienced statistically significant improvements in career preparedness. Among surveyed scholars (n=19), 44% are in their first year of clinical pharmacology post-graduate training. Terminal degrees for this cohort included MD 63%, PhD 42%, PharmD 32%. The first series targeted biosketches (academia) and resumes (industry).
Topics for the academic group included developing a NIH biosketch with the group reporting a substantial improvement in identifying key attributes to highlight (p< 0.05) and 83% felt confident to very confident in applying what was learned. Sessions targeting preparation for interviews showed that responders felt they were better prepared for the interview (p< 0.05) and getting their responses concise (p< 0.01) after attending the workshops. Attendees of the academic workshop series also benefit from workshops focused on workshops on academic endeavors such as journal selection (p< 0.05), finding grants appropriate for my work (p< 0.01), and understanding the funding landscape in the clinical pharmacology space (p< 0.001). Both academic and industry groups experienced confidence improvements in pitches to potential interviewers and funders (p< 0.01). 100% found the session helpful, with 60% strongly agreeing that hearing others’ pitches and feedback was beneficial. The writing group focused on the opening and closing paragraphs of cover letters and personal statements. Participants improved their confidence in 75% of the topics discussed, with marked improvements in grabbing recruiters’ interest (p< 0.05) and conveying their ideas effectively (p< 0.05).
Conclusions:
Career development workshops provide valuable skills and important deliverables for trainees transitioning into their professional careers. Peer-led sessions hone skills and feedback in a low-pressure environment. Fostering this safe space builds confidence, identifies areas for improvement, and strengthens professional networks.
Academic programs may bolster trainees’ career preparatory success by conducting annual assessments of high-need areas, designing just-in-time workshops around common deliverable deadlines and trainee sharing of draft works, highlighting interprofessional collaboration, supporting peer mentorship and faculty/alumni time, and incorporating alumni panels to provide near-peer insights.
Development and Evaluation of Online Career Development Workshops for Trainees from Multiple Institutions Transitioning to Academic and Industry Careers
Background:
The transition from trainee to career professional is a critical milestone, yet best practices on career preparation are not well defined and multi-institutional efficacy studies are rare. Experiential workshops can be helpful for such transitions as trainees seek careers across academia, industry, and government.
Select studies of early-career MD, PhD, or mixed cohorts in preparatory sessions with peer/faculty mentorship demonstrate high rates of grant success and academic appointments. Attendees favored small groups with individualized feedback.2-5 Incorporating these practices, we developed trainee-led multi-institutional workshops focused on critical skills and deliverables for a successful career launch.
Objectives/Goal:
This study addresses the design and efficacy of postgraduate-level, multi-institutional, interprofessional career preparation workshops.
Methods/Design:
We developed trainee-led multi-institutional workshops focused on critical skills and deliverables for a successful career launch. This study addresses the design and efficacy of postgraduate-level, multi-institutional, interprofessional career preparation workshops. Sessions begin with pre-surveys and topic introduction; leads/mentors provide personal examples of their work. Attendees then share their feedback and personal work for group discussion. Sessions conclude with learning highlights and post-surveys. Two sessions per working group include alumni panels on career transitions, mentorship, and job selection.
Results:
Early results demonstrated that attendees experienced statistically significant improvements in career preparedness. Among surveyed scholars (n=19), 44% are in their first year of clinical pharmacology post-graduate training. Terminal degrees for this cohort included MD 63%, PhD 42%, PharmD 32%. The first series targeted biosketches (academia) and resumes (industry).
Topics for the academic group included developing a NIH biosketch with the group reporting a substantial improvement in identifying key attributes to highlight (p< 0.05) and 83% felt confident to very confident in applying what was learned. Sessions targeting preparation for interviews showed that responders felt they were better prepared for the interview (p< 0.05) and getting their responses concise (p< 0.01) after attending the workshops. Attendees of the academic workshop series also benefit from workshops focused on workshops on academic endeavors such as journal selection (p< 0.05), finding grants appropriate for my work (p< 0.01), and understanding the funding landscape in the clinical pharmacology space (p< 0.001). Both academic and industry groups experienced confidence improvements in pitches to potential interviewers and funders (p< 0.01). 100% found the session helpful, with 60% strongly agreeing that hearing others’ pitches and feedback was beneficial. The writing group focused on the opening and closing paragraphs of cover letters and personal statements. Participants improved their confidence in 75% of the topics discussed, with marked improvements in grabbing recruiters’ interest (p< 0.05) and conveying their ideas effectively (p< 0.05).
Conclusions:
Career development workshops provide valuable skills and important deliverables for trainees transitioning into their professional careers. Peer-led sessions hone skills and feedback in a low-pressure environment. Fostering this safe space builds confidence, identifies areas for improvement, and strengthens professional networks.
Academic programs may bolster trainees’ career preparatory success by conducting annual assessments of high-need areas, designing just-in-time workshops around common deliverable deadlines and trainee sharing of draft works, highlighting interprofessional collaboration, supporting peer mentorship and faculty/alumni time, and incorporating alumni panels to provide near-peer insights.
Comments
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Poster Board Number: 23