Personnel Needs and Training for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Volume 1 (1977) / Chapter Skim
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3 Basic Biomedical Sciences
3 Basic Biomedical Sciences
Pages 35-75
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From page 35... ...
CURRENI EMPLOYMENT OF RECENT PH.D. ' S In assessing future needs for research personnel in the basic biomedical sciences, the Committee began by examining data on the current employment of recent Ph.D.
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From page 36... ...
changes -~ n the number of postdoctoral appointment s and other temporary positions, (41 Mobil ity among training and employment fief ds, (5) uti lization of research training in their current jobs, and (6} employment opportunities for personnel rained ~n different fields.
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From page 37... ...
. TOTAL ~ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Postdoctoral appointment % 20.0 5.5 7.7 15.9 26.5 43.7 Full-time employment % 74.0 88.6 85.4 78.4 67.9 50.5 Part-time employment % 1.6 1.7 2.1 2.4 0.8 1.1 Seeking employment % 1.7 1.7 2.1 1.8 1.6 1.1 Other status % 2.7 2.5 2.6 1.5 3.2 3.5 Survey item responses N 4429 725 769 801 841 1293 Estimated total Ph.D.'s N 14288 2792 2842 2799 2982 2873 Average time since receipt of doctorate spent in: TOTAL % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Postdoctoral appointment % 37.4 25.9 29.2 35.3 42.4 53.3 Full-time employment % 54.3 67.6 62.8 55.1 49.0 38.0 Part-time employment % 2.4 1.7 2.6 3.0 2.5 2.0 Seeking employment % 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.6 1.5 2.2 Other status % 4.5 3.8 4.4 5.0 4.6 4.6 Survey item responses N 4378 718 756 790 831 1283 Estimated total Ph.D.'s N 14288 2792 2842 2799 2982 2873 ~See Appendixes B1 and B2 for comparable data in each of the basic biomedical fields specified in the survey taxonomy.
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From page 38... ...
A comparison of the employment situations of 1975 graduates and earlier doctorate recipients revealed a significant increase in the percentage taking postdoctoral appointments (Table 3.
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From page 39... ...
2676 2709 2706. 2840 2740 aSee Appendixes B3 and B4 for comparable data in each of the basic biomedical fields specified in the surrey taxonomy.
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From page 42... ...
7 17 . 4 Survey item responses N 2882 480 471 529 533 869 Estimated total employed in academic sector N 9463 1843 1789 1890 1968 1973 Fraction of total research time contributed by posedoceb 0.424 0.118 0.191 0.356 0.532 0.733 aSee Appendix B12 for comparable data in each of the basic biomedical fields specified in the survey taxonomy.
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From page 43... ...
N 153 220 445 See Appendix B13 for comparable data in each of the basic biomedical fields specified in the survey taxonomy. Data for 1974-75 Ph.D.'s have not been reported since they could not have held postdoctoral appointments more than two years.
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From page 44... ...
Only percent of the recent graduates had moored into fields outside the biomedical science area, and less than 5 percent felt that their employment f ields were not at all related to their doctoral training. These findings confirmed the Committee's general impression that individuals with doctoral training in a basic biomedical field are often qualified to move into many other biomedical fields with minimal, if any, formal retraining.
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From page 45... ...
specialty field % 61.0 61.6 60.4 60.4 64.3 58.2 Other biomedical field % 31.4 32.6 32.5 30.8 28.0 33.6 Other field % 7.6 5.8 7.1 8.9 7.7 8.2 Ph.D. field and employment fief d were considered TOTAL % 100.0 100.O 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Closely related % 69 · 7 70.8 68.5 71.3 68.9 69.3 Somewhat related ~ 25.7 25.2 26.4 23.6 26.3 27.1 Not at all related ~ 4.5 4.1 5.1 5.1 4.8 3.6 Survey item responses N 4167 684 717 765 781 1220 Estimated total employed N 13671 2676 2709 2706 2840 2740 Postdoctoral appointment in: TOTAL % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.
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From page 46... ...
D recipients in biomedical sciences employed in fields outside their doctoral fields, very few felt that they were not utilizing their graduate trains ng.
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From page 47... ...
649 646 638 582 660 Estimated total full-time employed N 10576 (4595) 2475 2428 2195 2026 1452 See Anr~endixe~s Be, B7, and Be for comparable data in each cuff the basic biomedical fields specified in the surrey taxonomy.
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From page 48... ...
The Corr~ni free does not believe that i'_ is feasibl e at this time to identify with confidence one comprehensive list of shortage fields in ~ he basic biomedical sciences. The above anal ysis is inherently sub ject to serf ous limitations since field-swi~ching occurs so frequents y that initial specialization is misleading.
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From page 49... ...
Ph.D. field Total biomedical sciencesb 4.5 0.979 Animal sciences 1.6 1.500 Biomath/biostatistics 3.2 1.561 Epidemiology 1.9 1.444 Neurobiology 2.7 I.4S9 Nutrition and food sciences 0.0 1.223 Pathology 1.6 1.204 ~ ata included in the four columns above are from Appendixes B1, Be, B15, and Bl7.
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From page 50... ...
RECENT EXPANSION OF THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE LABOR FORCE Although most recen' graduates in the biomedical sciences currently hold positions appropriate to their training, evidence was found that indicated that some important changes have occurred within the labor market. While the number of persons who earned biomedica ~ science doctorates each years nearly -'ipled between 1960 and 1970, the rate of growth in doctorates has deck ined dramatically since ~ 97 (Figure 3.
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From page 51... ...
in Table 3.10. Data from NRC, Survey of Earned Doctorates, Washington, D.C., 1958-76.
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From page 52... ...
estimates presented earlier because the set of basic biomedical fields used from the Surrey of Earned Doctorates, from which data in this table were derived, included a somewhat broader population than ache set developed for the Co~ttee's survey of recent doctorate recipients. A comparison of these two taxonomies is given in Chapter 2.
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From page 53... ...
While precise estimates are unattainable because of inadequate historical data, it is clear that in recent years mo re pe r son s hair ~ be en uncle rtaki ng pos tdoct ore ~ study the n completing it, and that the pool of potential members of the biomedical labor force has be en growing. Furthermore, in 1975 the number of scientists with doctorates in chemistry, phys ics, and other re 1 ated area s employed in ba sic biomedical sciences was almost twice as large as the number of biomedica ~ Ph.
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From page 54... ...
:~d': ~ ;N (C~] 004—JO / FIGURE 3.2p components contributing to the annual grouch of the biomedical science labor force.
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From page 56... ...
dP up ~ z up 1 rat a)
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From page 57... ...
During 1971-75, medical and dental school enro, Iments i ncreased at more than 6 percent per year, and kiorredi Cal graduate enrollment has increased at more than 4 percent per year (Table 3.13~. The fastest growing sector in biomedical sciences education is apparently in other health professional schools (nursing, public health, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, etc.} where enrollment has grown at more than 20 percent per rear since 1971 {Table 3.13)
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From page 58... ...
degrees granted in year i+2; Cot = total undergraduate enrollments in year i.
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From page 59... ...
's employed in hi gher education to total graduate and und~rq~adua~e prod Iment in the biomedical sciences is for life science :R academic demand for high ly correlated wi~h rea~ expenditures and D This implies that pro Sections of biomedica ~ Ph.
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From page 60... ...
An at o J 5000 4000 3000 2000 1 000 _ 1 _ - Current $ 1967 $ ''/ i_ #, / _~' / TOTAL /,~`,,~ /y / or if ~ Federal Ail I ndustry ~ _ 1~Other 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 FISCAL YEAR FIGURE 3.3 National support for medical and health-related research. Derived from tabulations provided by NIH, Division of Research Resources Analysis.
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From page 61... ...
Faculty/Student Ratio 1200 1100 1000 900 800 Z 700 ~ 600 _ 0 500 Z 400 LU 300, _ / _' an' A' 01 I I I I I I I 1 1 1 1 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 FISCAL YEAR (c) Total Biomedical and Health Professions Graduate and Undergraduate Enrollment 1~ ~ 60 In ~ 50 cot in O 40 = - 30 G `~ 20 ~ 10 of o 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 CALENDAR YEAR High Estimate'' — ,' Probable ace' _ - ~~Estimate _ _ ~ Low Estimate (d)
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From page 64... ...
Since the academic market i s not expected to expand f a st enough to absorb the biomedical scientists who will be seeking faculty positions in the next few years, the question arises how far the nonacademic market can be expected to expand. The Committee has no fief inite answer to this question at this time.
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From page 65... ...
~ 3 ~ . The r ~ are ~ here f ore some 9, 0 0 0 f a culty positions in the biomedical sciences occupied by non-Ph.
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From page 66... ...
Reducing f edera ~ Thai ning grants might even be counterproductive, given the evidence cited above that NTH trainees are more likely to remain in research and contribute to the advancement of science. The Committee therefore believes that it is imperative that all Persons connected with graduate education in the biomedical sciences be made aware of the current employment situation, the accumulation of postdoctoral trainees, and the Committee's forecasts of future opportunities (see the section-"Acquisition and Dissemination of Employment/Utilization 66
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From page 67... ...
Postdoctoral Training T evels Postdoctoral support is needed for the continual on of the advanced research training that is essential for a healthy re search community . Thi s training doe s not add to the si ze of the doctoral labor force in the biomedi Cal s ciences, but it does increase and redistribute technical ski' Is as well as provide research opportunities.
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From page 68... ...
TABLE 3.16 Committee Recommendations for NTH and ADAMHA Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Traineeship and Fellowship Awards in the Basic Biomedical Sciences Fiscal Year Agency Awards and Committee Recommendations 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 Actual awards Tot&1 9199 8216 Pre 6003 4449 Post 3196 3767 1976 recommendations Total 8600 8600 8600 Pre 5400 5400 S400 Post 3200 3200 3200 1977 recommendations Total 7450 7450 7450 Pre 4250 4250 4250 Post 3200 3200 3200 FY 1976 awards were reported in 1977 subsequent to the release of the 1976 report of the Committee.
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From page 69... ...
Although training grants are the preferred mechanism far establishing the environment for high-quality predoctoral training, there is also a place for pre doctoral fellowship awards. Results of the Committee's survey of recent doctorate receipts indicated that 15 percent of the biomedical graduates received predoctoral training support from federal sources other than NESA.
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From page 70... ...
As a result of the high f ield mobility In the basic biomedical sciences, the Committee recor~unends that the NIH not identify specific fields or subject matter for predoctoral training in its announcement, except for the two fields mentioned above, and award staining grants in healthrelated f ields based on merit. However, in those cases where the agency conch uded that it is desirable to describe in i ts announcement f ie Ids of predoctoral training that are of special interest to particular institutes, the Committee believes that the announcement should state explicitly that no field or sub ject matter which is within the broad area of the biomedical or behavioral sciences is excluded from consideration (see "Announcement Fief ds" in Chapter 9} .
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From page 71... ...
The Committee finds a continuing need for trained research scientists in all fields of the basic biomedical sciences. At the predoctoral level, ideate fication of specific basic biomedical science for research training should be eliminated f rom the NIH announcement, with training grants awarded on the basis of merit.
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From page 72... ...
Th e Committ" e do e s agree, however, that gr adua te s tudents and academic departments should remain fully aware of legislative trends in detennin~ng the future specific needs of the country and anticipates that the f ielas of environmental health and toxicology wi 11 provide opportunities for biomedical scientists. The s eco na i s sue aro s e f rom the te st imony pr es ent e a to the Committee by the Chairman of the Second Ta sk Force f or Research Planning in Environmental Health Science.
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From page 73... ...
on the basis of which future recommendations for special emphasi s can be made .
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From page 74... ...
9 . Throughout this report, persons holding postdoctoral appointments were not considered to be part of the current labor force.
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From page 75... ...
compari son between data developed in the Comma ttee ' s surveys and those reported by the NSF are complicated by di fferences in taxonomy. The NSF usually reports data in the Life sciences, including agriculture, biological, and medi Cal s ci ence s .
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