Biomedical and Behavioral Research Scientists: Their Training and Supply Volume III: Commissioned Papers (1989) / Chapter Skim
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4. Training of Physician/Scientists
4. Training of Physician/Scientists
Pages 107-120
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From page 107... ...
If answers to the above five questions could be approximated with a reasonable degree of accuracy, however, they might serve as a basis for a rational national policy. SPECIAL ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN/SCIENTIST A generation ago "medical research" was carried out largely by physicians, most of whom had relatively little formal training *
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From page 108... ...
The remarkable progress in basic biology brings with it parallel new opportunities for human application in "clinical investigation." The seminal retrospective studies of Cumroe and Dripps (1976) , for example, showed quite cd early that technical advances directly applicable to the care of patients with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases depended heavily on basic research (about 40 percent in their arbitrary definition)
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From page 109... ...
Those currently in medical school and in postdoctoral training will have their main professional experiences in the twentyfirst century. That fact implies enormous changes in the technological basis of medical practice in ways that cannot now be foreseen.
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From page 110... ...
, the number of physician/scientists who have attained some clinical competence and who could also meet the stringent criteria for scholarship for appointment in a basic science department is incredibly small. It is widely perceived that the paucity of such individuals who are competent in modern science and some phase of clinical medicine is the main limitation in our ability to move ahead quickly in modern clinical research.
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From page 111... ...
Of equal importance, the individual benefits from learning further about scientific method and thereby is better prepared to evaluate medical progress and to learn to adapt to a career in the practice of medicine for the twenty-first century. Extra scientific training for the physician should not, therefore, be considered as a waste of resources.
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From page 112... ...
Current investigators transmit these insecurities to those who are considering similar careers. The current "industrial turmoil" in clinical departments as they contend with the demands for health care delivery and financial viability in a time of change.
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From page 113... ...
It is both inaccurate and arrogant to assume that the intensive professional training of a physician prepares him or her to compete in modern biological science with a scientist who has undertaken the rigorous discipline of a Ph.D. degree.
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From page 114... ...
During this transitional period, such individuals require protected time and should not be required to participate as heavily in departmental activities (patient care, teaching, and university service) as do those who are not making a similar effort to bridge basic science and medical research.
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From page 115... ...
For those who are training for a career in research, this time should not be diluted with simultaneous clinical responsibilities, which inevitably serve to divert attention and energies elsewhere. Preferably, this experience should be in an active basic science laboratory that is on the cutting edge of some discipline that is ultimately applicable to medical research and that is in the usual predoctoral, postdoctoral climate of competitive ideas and productivity.
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From page 116... ...
Formalized training programs for physicians usually have been established as appendages to specially divisions of clinical departments (e.g., in gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology, etc.~. The scientific training that such divisions can supply rarely approaches that available in basic science departments.
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From page 117... ...
c. Formal course work in the physical and biochemical sciences should be an integral part of any such program so that its graduates command a theoretical background comparable to that obtained by those with graduate degrees in the biological sciences.
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From page 118... ...
Obviously, this is much more difficult to do than it seems at first. It is usual, therefore, to use as a surrogate a number of indirect indices, such as the number who remain in an academic environment, those who have successfully attained an RO-1 grant, or those who have remained active in research (as judged usually by grant activity)
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From page 119... ...
o The cost of training is low in comparison with the ultimate investment in the scientific work of those supported; hence, pays to allow for the choice of the best, based on performance in research. The "trainees" are, in fact, modestly reimbursed laboratory workers who contribute great value to the direct conduct of research during their so-called training periods.
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From page 120... ...
. Launching of an independent scientific career: The early years of a scientific career require special consideration and protection.
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