Minimize Burnout
Physician burnout—so common in the current healthcare system—is an excellent reason to consider a research career. Five years ago, David Meltzer, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, wanted to increase the number of research-trained hospitalists, so he moved to create a hospitalist training program. Around the same time, the hospital approached Dr. Meltzer and others, asking them to expand the number of clinical physician positions.
“We were afraid the new physicians would burn out rather quickly if their jobs included only clinical work,” Dr. Meltzer says. “We designed positions that had less clinical work but more time for physicians to develop research skills to support sustainable academic careers.”
Hospital leaders agreed, and the university’s Hospitalist Scholars Training Program was born. The two-year curriculum trains hospitalists for a career in academic research, and combines inpatient clinical work, coursework, and mentored training related to an academic project. Scholars typically leave the program with a master’s degree in public policy or health studies.
“Most of our graduates are working in academic research,” Dr. Meltzer says. “The program has been a great source of new faculty for us.”
Short-term programs are available in select topics. For example, the University of Chicago offers a summer program in outcomes research training for hospitalists interested in careers in health research, Dr. Meltzer says. SHM and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have provided funding to expand the program to include as many as six hospitalists from around the country.
Pioneer Program
Applicants from any medical or surgical specialty are eligible to apply for the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Clinical Scholars Program, the nation’s oldest research training program for physicians in health services, research, and leadership.
“The mandate of Robert Wood Johnson is ‘health and healthcare for all Americans,’ ” says Desmond Runyan, MD, DrPH, national program director of the RWJ Clinical Scholars Program. “We give physicians the skills they need to be leaders, and then we push them out the door so they can go out and shape the future of healthcare in this country.”
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and, with the exception of surgeons, must complete their residency training before entering the clinical scholars program. The two-year program offers a master’s degree in graduate-level study and research, and scholars may be considered for a third year of support. Scholars have their choice of four training sites: the University of California at Los Angeles; Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; or the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Programs vary, but each university has a curriculum to teach the basics of healthcare research. It also provides protected time for research; about 20% of time is spent on clinical activities, according to the program’s Web site. Graduates receive leadership, health services, and community-based research training.
The RWJ Foundation spends about $9 million per year on the program, which covers research support, salaries for scholars and program administrators, travel, and other expenses. About half of the program’s graduates go into academic positions; the other half go into public health or other leadership positions. One recent graduate opted for a position in quality control; three other graduates serve as staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, he says. Other graduates work with foundations, state and federal health agencies, or with companies working in the healthcare industry.
“This program looks for people who don’t march to a standard drummer,” Dr. Runyon says. “We are looking for risk-takers who want to make a difference.”