Summary of Breakout Group Activity:
Group A: Student Suggestions for Promoting a
Scientific Research Culture….
| 1) | Providing research requirements or research electives within the veterinary curriculum |
| 2) | Encourage faculty to provide summer research employment opportunities beyond basic "grunt work" |
| 3) | Increase clinically relevant research opportunities. Promote focus groups between clinical veterinarians and researchers to improve communication. |
| 4) | Instructors bring their personal research interests to curriculum (ex: 1 credit hour class where researchers describe their work to students) |
| 5) | Continue to push NIH research stipends to levels competitive with private practice salaries (continue to push dept-relief for research veterinarians) |
| 6) | Select enthusiastic peer speakers to promote continuing education and share positive research experiences |
| 7) | Have student groups sponsor speakers in research- using format similar to "pet food company lunch seminars" |
| 8) | Improve relationship between research community and lockal clinicians- try to get local community clinicians engaged in research process with opportunity for feedback |
Group B: Perceptions about Research Funding….
| Public University less $ than Private | |
| Less $$ support for research | |
| Poorer staff #'s | |
| "Hot Topics" get more $$ (ex: bioterrorism) | |
| to the detriment of other research areas (get overshadowed/underfunded) | |
| Dual degree programs underfunded (relative to MD/PhD) | |
| Want tuition remission and stipend support for duration of DVM/PhD program | |
| Grant Writing | |
| Frustrating | |
| Requires initiative and creativity | |
| Money is there | |
| Competition maintains quality of research | |
| Funding lets you "do what you love" | |
| Academic research = flexibility | |
Group C: Student Perceptions about the Advantages
of a Research Career….
1) Good hours
2) Good pay
3) PhD = increased opportunities
4) Can generate new knowledge
5) Collaborate with people outside of veterinary medicine
6) Become a world expert in a specific area
7) Chance to help a lot of animals (> impact than private practice)
8) Get position in academic setting (intellectually rich and fun)
9) Be a member of a team- learn from people in many disciplines
10) Opportunity to travel
11) More flexibility in career over lifetime
12) Opportunity to stay current in veterinary medicine (access to
cutting edge info)
13) Greater understanding of treatment
14) Opportunity to influence policy, government spending and the
direction of research
15) Less stress? – in terms of emotional bonds, client/patient
relationships
Group D: Student Perceptions about the
Disadvantages of a Research Career…
1) Need/pressure to obtain consistent funding
2) Competition
3) Time commitment
4) Requires a lot of patience
5) Limited exposure to animals
6) Politics involved
7) Highly specialized
8) High level of paperwork
9) Must write a lot of papers
10) Tedious
11) Geographically limited
12) Technological issues
13) Animal rights groups/ethics- perceptions of others and personal
issues
14) Must tailor your work to meet others’ objectives
15) Study limititations
16) Regulatory Issues
Group E: Student Concerns about Work-Life
Balance…
| 1) Combined Career with Spouse: | |
| Competing for
success Less flexibility when there are two Time for social life Time for Family and children |
|
| 2) Regrets for Choices Made? | |
| Children/No Children
Children- when? Single/Married Lost Opportunities |
|
| 3) Job Discrimination based on gender? | |
| The child-bearing years- discrimination in private practice vs. industry vs. CVM | |
| 4) Generational or Gender Issues? | |
| Two incomes the norm Women/Men (wife/husband) share more tasks Guilt over leaving the children when maternity (parental) leave ends |
|
| 5) Childcare Options: | |
| Nanny/Au pair Daycare Self Extended Family Spouse |
|
| 6) "Series of Trade-offs" | |
| 7) "Things work themselves out" | |
| 8) "Family should always come first" | |
Group F: Faculty Coordinators thoughts on
Improving the Summer Programs…
| 1) Enhancing the Website: | |
| More links to grad sites, job
info, picture gallery Guestbook to promote interaction Maintain symposium links for on-line evaluation, picture gallery |
|
| 2) NIH T35s: Blending the programs to everyone’s advantage- expanding symposium | |
| 3) Moving up the Application Time Table to help programs and students commit | |
| 4) Expanding the Symposium: | |
| Diversify funding to increase
summer scholar attendance Open to combined DVM/PhD students Open to undergraduates doing research in comparative medicine at CVMs |
|
| 5) Improving the ways we track alumni of the Merck-Merial and T35 summer programs | |
| 6) Add Graduate Program Fair to symposium (from a student) | |
Group G: Undergraduate Research Experience…..
What works:
| 1) Communication- | |
| i. with Mentor/Supervisor ii. knowledge of the other projects in the lab iii. regularly scheduled meetings or bulletin board |
|
| 2) Confidence to give certain level of independence | |
| 3) Providing background (big picture) of research project | |
What doesn't work:
1) Lack of trust/Underestimation of Intelligence
2) Absence of organized, realistic timelines
3) Lack of consistent mentor availability
4) Lack of patience
5) Unclear expectations