A new model for postdoctoral training: The Nursing Postdoctoral Program in Cancer and Health Disparities

Abstract

The University of Massachusetts Boston and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center joined forces in 2009 to create a Postdoctoral Nursing Research Fellowship in Cancer and Health Disparities. In combining the resources of a large university and a research-intensive service institution, the postdoctoral program provides a new model for preparing nurse scientists to conduct independent research that advances nursing knowledge and interdisciplinary understanding of complex health issues. The multi-faceted program consists of educational programming, research training, and career planning components. Additionally, each fellow is assigned a nurse scientist mentor and interdisciplinary co-mentor. The mentors support the fellows with scholarly activities and research training and help the fellows craft individualized career plans, including proposals for post-fellowship career development research. In this article, the postdoctoral program leaders describe the program structure, strategies used to recruit minority and non-minority candidates, and data describing program outcomes, and share lessons learned and recommendations for organizations that may be interested in establishing similar postdoctoral fellowships at their institutions.

The Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research Program for Postdoctoral Nurses: A Development Paper

“…The fellow established relationships with the mentors and visited them, which has in some cases led to (inter)national research collaborations. In line with this, the literature has emphasized the importance of intentional mentorship supporting the transition of nurse fellows into the role of international academic scholars (Coffman et al, 2013; Franklin et al, 2011; Gennaro et al, 2007; Gillespie et al, 2018; Hadidi et al, 2013; Jacob & Sánches, 2010; Reid Ponte, Hayman, Berry, & Cooley, 2015). Also, there is growing evidence for the positive impact of mentoring on research productivity, research career development, improved leadership competencies, and various other outcomes (Hafsteinsdóttir et al, 2017).…”

Professional Learning and Development of Postdoctoral Scholars: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Quality appraisal scores for qualitative studies and qualitative components of mixed method studies ranged from low (n � 7), medium (n � 2), to high (n � 4) ( Supplementary Table S1). While a number of the qualitative studies described clear objectives and appropriate methods to collect qualitative data, three studies had unclear objectives [34,51,54]. e methods of data analysis were often unclear, and there was a lack of thick descriptions of events and circumstances of professional learning and development, reducing our ability to generate an in-depth understanding of professional learning and development of postdocs.…”

The interprofessional Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars program pre- and postdoctoral nurse fellow outcomes

“…Nurse leaders, faculty, and scientists have repeatedly cited the need for increasing nursing pre and postdoctoral opportunities to build upon foundational knowledge and skills in quality (IOM, 2011;Reid Ponte et al, 2014). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advanced Fellowships Programs, funded through the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), offer postresidency, postdoctoral, and postmasters fellowships to a variety of health professions trainees, including nurses, psychologists, social workers, pharmacists, physicians, and dentists (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2018).…”

“…These evolving demands highlight the need for professional development for doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and PhD nurses that focuses on health care improvement and system redesign through research, translation of evidence into practice, and teaching (Melnyk, 2013;Trautman,Shannon, Hammersla, & Rosseter, 2018). Pre and postdoctoral experiences that provide formal opportunities for advanced training are varied and continue to expand (Hobbs et al, 2008;Patrician et al, 2012;Patrician et al, 2013;Reid Ponte et al, 2014). The purpose of this article is to describe the distinctive elements of the VA Quality Scholars (VAQS) program, nurse fellow outcomes, and accomplishments of nurse alumni as leaders, researchers, and educators.…”