Unleashing the Early Career Transition in Academic Medicine

In addition to advancing biomedical research and delivering cutting-edge clinical care, academic medical centers (AMCs) are tasked with training the next generation of physicians and scientists. This training is based on a competencies model, with emphasis given to the high-level acquisition of technical clinical and research skills. While this framework is appropriate for the learning years, once researchers and clinician-scientists transition from training to fuller career responsibilities, they are in need of an expanded psychological and psychosocial toolkit for holistic success. At present, academic medicine does not sufficiently support, address, or welcome the elements of this toolkit; in the early career phase, overemphasis is placed on the expression and expansion of independent technical competencies, to the neglect of the psychosocial facets necessary for academics' successful career progression and fulfillment. Delineating the legacy of the current training model for the early career period, this paper explicates the tension that exists between the conventional markers of success and adult psychosocial needs, with special attention paid to the potential consequences of this mismatch. The paper concludes with a series of suggestions for how leaders in academic medicine may help their research and clinician-scientist faculty flourish more fully in early career.