Harvard Medical School
Fellowships in General Medicine and Primary Care
Career Development
for
General Internal Medicine
Fellows
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Table of Contents
Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Instructions for Fellows .................................................................................................................................. 3
Instructions for Mentors and Site Directors/Co-Directors .............................................................................. 4
Career Assessment Process
Step 1: Skills Assessment ................................................................................................................ 5
Step 2: Values Clarification ............................................................................................................. 6
Step 3: Interests Inventory .............................................................................................................. 8
Step 4: Understanding How Your Skills, Interests, and Values Work Together ............................. 9
Step 5: Matching Skills, Values, and Interests to Career Path Options ........................................ 10
Step 6: Career Path Mapping ........................................................................................................ 11
Annual Career Conference Form ................................................................................................................ 12
REFERENCES and RESOURCES
1: Detsky AS, Baerlocher MO. Academic mentoring--how to give it and how to get it.
JAMA. 2007 May 16;297(19):2134-6.
2: Saha S, Christakis DA, Saint S, Whooley MA, Simon SR. A survival guide for generalist physicians in
academic fellowships part 1: getting started.
J Gen Intern Med. 1999 Dec;14(12):745-9.
3: Saha S, Saint S, Christakis DA, Simon SR, Fihn SD. A survival guide for generalist physicians in academic
fellowships part 2: preparing for the transition to junior faculty.
J Gen Intern Med. 1999 Dec;14(12):750-5.
4: Zerzan JT, Hess R, Schur E, Phillips RS, Rigotti N. Making the most of mentors: a guide for mentees.
Acad Med. 2009 Jan;84(1):140-4.
HMS Format CV instructions: http://cv.hms.harvard.edu
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Acknowledgements:
This document was developed, with permission, based on Individual Development Plans developed by:
 Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology
 University of California San Francisco (C. Fuhrmann, B. Lindstaedt, and P. Clifford)
 Brigham and Women’s Hospital Office of Research Careers
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OVERVIEW: CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR GENERAL MEDICINE
FELLOWS
Individual Development Plans (IDPs) provide a planning process that identifies both professional development
needs and career objectives. An IDP can be considered one component of a broader mentoring program that
needs to be instituted by all types of research institutions.
The goal of the IDP is to help fellows:
 Identify long-term career options they wish to pursue and the necessary tools to meet these; and
 Identify short-term needs for improving current performance, and identifying milestones along the way to
achieving specific objectives
 Foster communication between fellows, mentors, and fellowship directors.
Outline of IDP Process
The development, implementation and revision of the IDP requires a series of steps to be conducted by the
postdoctoral fellow and their mentor/career advisors. These steps are an interactive effort, and so both the
postdoctoral fellow and the mentor/advisor must participate fully in the process.
This Workbook includes 2 tools:
1) The Career Assessment Process (CAP) will first help fellows define their unique career-related skills,
values and interests, factors that affect career fit and career satisfaction. Then they will begin to consider
how these factors may affect their future career path.
This process may help you to identify some “disconnects” – areas where your skills, values and interests do not
provide an ideal fit for your career path. These disconnects indicate that action is needed! In response to a
newly identified career disconnect, actions might include:
 Further development of skills needed to succeed
 Adjustment of working conditions to better fit priorities in your life
 Research into new career paths that may provide a better fit for your skills, values and interests
 Exploration of ways to pursue neglected passions outside of your work, or ways to begin including those
passions in your regular work
Career assessment may be a multi-day or multi-month, iterative process. Sometimes it may even take years
before one can confidently say a chosen career path provides an ideal fit for one’s skills, values and interests.
2) The Annual Career Conference (ACC) Form provides a structured format for creating an IDP and an
outline for the Fellow to discuss recent accomplishments, current career goals and future plans for
professional development with his/her mentor/advisor and obtain feedback regarding progress and training.
The outcome of the ACC should be a clear and mutually agreed upon plan for the upcoming year.
Each year, as the fellow completes the ACC, he/she should once again reflect on their skills, values and
interests. This process will help identify potential disconnects to address, such as:
 During the past year, have skills improved in areas important for career success?
 Are any new skills needed if one is to continue succeeding along his/her chosen career path?
 What major events have happened in the fellow’s life that might change his/her value priorities? What
are the implications of these changes? How will he/she address those changes?
 Is the fellow still passionate about his/her day-to-day priorities in their clinical, educational and research
fields?
Specific step-by-step instructions are provided for both the Fellow and the Mentors/Fellowship
Directors.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR FELLOWS:
1) IDENTIFY YOUR MENTOR FOR RESEARCH. By now you should have been introduced to key concepts in
selecting a mentor and being a savvy mentee. Key references related to this topic are included at the end of
this workbook. You likely will have a primary mentor for your major project(s), and secondary mentors for
ancillary projects.
2) PRE-MEETING PREPARATION: You will need to complete most of this workbook independently prior to
meeting with your Mentor(s) and Site Director/Co-Director. The ACC form and supporting documents are
intended to guide the conversation, and to document goals and progress.



Complete the Career Assessment Process. This is optional, but highly recommended. It is intended
to help you clarify your long term career goals. This provides a clearly defined context for your
fellowship activities.
Complete the Annual Career Conference form (pp.12-15) and review with your research mentor(s).
This is required. It is estimated that preparing this form will take less than an hour and should be
completed to the best of your ability prior to your scheduled meeting
o If significant issues arose as you completed the Career Assessment Process, you should ask
your Mentor(s) and/or about specific ways to address these issues.
o Complete Parts 1-4 of the ACC Form. Include goals as identified in prior year’s ACC if
applicable. Leave blank spaces where indicated for feedback and comments from your Mentor
in Parts 2, 3, & 4 which may be completed during/after your meeting. The form can be
expanded or collapsed to allow for as many pages as appropriate for your needs.
o Save the completed document as “Your name_ACC_20XX.doc” with your name and current
fellowship year.
Complete related attachments and review with your research mentor(s):
o Updated CV in modified* HMS format. Details on CV format may be found at
http://cv.hms.harvard.edu. Current teaching activities, publications/abstracts, presentations, and
funding support should all be included in the CV.
*Current HMS format does not permit inclusion of unpublished work; however, for the purposes
of this process, fellows are encouraged to list work that is “in preparation”, “submitted”, and/or
“under revision”.
o Listing of planned coursework, if applicable.
o Transcript (unofficial transcript/OASIS course report is acceptable) of completed
coursework/degree progress (e.g., transcript to-date), if applicable.
o Completed supplemental information form for information on IRB approvals and Ethics
courses/certifications, and other information not included in the CV
3) MEET WITH YOUR RESEARCH MENTOR(S): The Fellow should introduce the Career Development
Workbook, including this introduction and instructions, to their mentor(s) and initiate at least one meeting to
discuss research plans and other relevant areas of this workbook in preparation for the Annual Career
Conference (ACC) within the first 6 months of fellowship. During the meeting, you and your mentor(s) should
review the completed ACC Form and all attachments. If significant issues arose as you completed the Career
Assessment Process, this should be discussed as well.
4) SCHEDULE THE ANNUAL CAREER CONFERENCE WITH YOUR SITE DIRECTOR/CO-DIRECTOR. The
Fellow should initiate the Annual Career Conference (ACC) with his or her Site Director/Co-Directors within the
first 6 months of fellowship. Email the completed ACC form and all attachments prior to the meeting. During the
meeting, you and your Site Director/Co-Director should a) review the documents, b)discuss any significant
issues that arose as you completed the Career Assessment Process, and c) discuss any conflicts and/or
concerns about the mentor-mentee relationship, if necessary. You and the Site Director/Co-Director should sign
this form at the end of the meeting.
5) POST-MEETING: The ACC Form is intended to be a working document which you maintain and update as
you make progress and attain your goals, in addition to being a guide as you move forward. For your records
and for your research and career planning, you should keep a copy of the form which has been signed by both
you and the Site Director/Co-Director. A copy should also be provided to the Fellowship Directors to review and
keep on file.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACULTY MENTORS AND SITE DIRECTORS/CODIRECTORS:
1) PRE-MEETING: The Fellow should introduce this Career Development Workbook, including this introduction
and instructions, and initiate meetings with their research mentor(s) and the Annual Career Conference (ACC)
with the Site Director/Co-Directors within the first 6 months of fellowship.
2) FELLOWS MEET WITH RESEARCH MENTORS: The Fellow will meet with their research mentor(s) to
review the ACC form and required attachments:
o The Fellow prepares the ACC form (pp.12-15 of the Career Development Workbook). It is estimated
that preparing this form will take the Fellow less than an hour prior to your scheduled meeting. They will
save the document as “FellowName_ACC_20XX.doc” for current year
o Updated CV in modified* HMS format. Details on CV format may be found at http://cv.hms.harvard.edu.
Current teaching activities, publications/abstracts, presentations, and funding support should all be
included in the CV.
*Current HMS format does not permit inclusion of unpublished work; however, for the purposes of this
process, fellows are encouraged to list work that is “in preparation”, “submitted”, and/or “under revision”.
o Listing of planned coursework, if applicable.
o Transcript (unofficial transcript/OASIS course report is acceptable) of completed coursework/degree
progress (e.g., transcript to-date), if applicable.
o Completed supplemental information form for information on IRB approvals and Ethics
courses/certifications, and other information not included in the CV
3) FELLOWS MEET WITH SITE DIRECTOR/CO-DIRECTOR FOR ANNUAL CAREER CONFERENCE
o The fellow emails the completed ACC Form and all attachments to your Site Director/Co-Director before
the meeting.
o The Fellow and Site Director/Co-Director should a) review the documents, b)discuss any significant
issues that arose as you completed the Career Assessment Process, and c) discuss any conflicts
and/or concerns about the mentor-mentee relationship, if necessary.
o Both the Fellow and the Site Director/Co-Director should sign this form at the end of the meeting.
4) POST-MEETING: The ACC Form is intended to be a working document which is maintained and update as
as the fellow makes progress and attains his/her goals, in addition to being a guide as he/she moves forward.
The fellow and Site Director/Co-Director should keep a copy of the completed, signed form. A copy should also
be provided to the Fellowship Directors to review and keep on file.
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CAP STEP 1: SKILLS SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR GENERAL MEDICINE
RESEARCH FELLOWS
The purpose of this assessment is to assist fellows in monitoring their development regarding their
progress in critical skill areas.
Assess your strengths and weaknesses in the following skill areas:
n/a = Not applicable
4 = Highly proficient (skill level you would like by the end of fellowship)
1 = Needs improvement
Research Skills
Creativity in developing novel research questions and ideas
Ability to review the relevant literature
Research design – experiments or studies or program evaluations
Problem solving/troubleshooting during the research process
Statistical analysis
Interpretation of results and application to real-world
Identifying mentors and utilizing them effectively
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
n/a
n/a
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
n/a
n/a
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
n/a
n/a
n/a
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
n/a
1
2
3
4
Academic Skills
Oral presentation skills for research
Oral presentation skills for teaching
Grant writing skills
Manuscript writing skills
Teaching skills (small group/advising)
Teaching skills (one-on-one)
Critical Clinical Skills and Knowledge Areas
Primary Care
Hospital Medicine
Other Skill/Knowledge Area_____________________
(e.g., CAM, Geriatrics, Palliative Care)
Efficiency/speed in the clinic
Case management, effective coordination of the healthcare team
for individual patients
Leadership and Management Skills
Leading and motivating others (e.g. supervising)
Overall understanding of budgeting
Organizational skills for managing projects and time
Organizational skills for individual projects
Leading diverse groups
Decision making
Delegating responsibility
Interpersonal Skills
Getting along with others
Communicating clearly in writing
Communicating clearly in conversation
Awareness of your personal communication style and that of
others
Networking/meeting new colleagues
Flexibility/multitasking
Interest in self-improvement, ability to receive feedback and
constructive criticism
Ability to give effective feedback and constructive criticism
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CAP STEP 2: VALUES CLARIFICATION
Take inventory of your career-related values. What is most important to you?
Your career-related values are the factors or outcomes of your work that are most important to you. Even if you
feel confident about your future career goals, it’s a good idea to periodically assess your career related values.
If you are clear about your most important values, you are more likely to make career choices that are
congruent with those values. The exercise below will help you become more clear about your most important
career-related values.
The following list describes a wide variety of career-related values. Review each item on the list, reading each
definition, and rate the degree of importance that you would assign to each item for yourself, using the scale below:
4 = Very important to me in my future career
3 = Important to me in my future career
2 = Somewhat important to me in my future career
1 = Not important at all to me in my future career
After you have completed the rankings, circle/highlight the work-related values that are ranked as “4’s”.
RANK
VALUE
DESCRIPTION
Help society:
Do something to contribute to the betterment of the world I live in.
Help others:
Be involved in helping other people in a direct way either individually or in small groups.
People contact:
Have a lot of day-to-day contact with people as a result of my work activities.
Teamwork:
Work in collaboration with others or as part of a team.
Affiliation:
Be recognized as a member of a respected organization.
Friendships:
Develop close personal relationships with people as a result of my work activities; or have a
job that allows time to maintain close friendships outside of work.
Competition:
Engage in activities that pit (or rank) my abilities or achievements against the abilities or
achievements of others.
Make decisions:
Have power to decide courses of action, policies, etc.
Work under pressure:
Work in situations where time pressure is prevalent and/or the quality of my work is judged
critically by supervisors, customers or others.
Power and authority:
Control the work activities of other people.
Influence people:
Be in a position to change attitudes or opinions of other people.
Work alone:
Work on or complete projects by myself, without any significant amount of contact with others.
Knowledge:
Engage myself in the pursuit of knowledge, truth and understanding; intellectual stimulation.
Intellectual or expert
Be regarded as a person of high intellectual prowess or as one who is an acknowledged expert
in a given field.
status:
Creativity:
Create new ideas, programs, organizational structures or anything else not following a format
previously developed by others.
Aesthetics:
Be involved in studying, appreciating the beauty of things, ideas, etc. or in creating that beauty.
Supervision:
Having a job in which I am directly responsible for the work done by others.
Stability:
Have a work routine and job duties that are largely predictable and not likely to change over a
long period of time.
Change and variety:
Have work responsibilities which frequently change their content and setting; avoidance of
routine.
Precision work:
Work in a situation where there is very little tolerance for error.
Security:
Be assured of keeping my job and a reasonable financial reward.
Fast pace:
Work in circumstances where there is a high rate of activity and work must be done rapidly.
Recognition:
Be recognized (by colleagues or patients or the public or superiors) for the quality of my work.
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Excitement:
Experience a high degree of (or frequent) excitement in the course of my work.
Adventure:
Have work duties which involve risk-taking or trying new things; could be a position that allows
a lot of travel.
High earnings anticipated:
Monetary rewards will be such that I am able to purchase those things I consider essential as
well as the luxuries of life that I wish to have.
Profit-gain:
Have strong likelihood of accumulating large amount of money or other material gain.
Independence:
Be able to determine the nature of my work without significant direction from others; not be
required to do what others tell me to do.
Moral fulfillment:
Feel that my work is contributing significantly to, or is in keeping with, a set of moral standards
which I feel are very important.
Location:
Find a place to live (town, area) which is conducive or accommodting to my lifestyle and
affords me the opportunity to do things I enjoy most.
Community involvement:
Live in a town or city where I can get involved in community affairs.
Physical challenge:
Have a job that makes physical demands which I would find rewarding.
Time freedom:
Have work responsibilities which I can work at according to my own time schedule; flexible
work schedule or no particular work schedule.
Status:
The position I have carries respect with my friends, or my family, or some community of
people.
Advancement:
A job that provides the opportunity to work hard and make rapid career advancement.
Challenging problems:
The position does not have to be “essential to the survival of the human race” but it should
provide challenging problems to solve and the avoidance of continual routine.
Creative expression:
Opportunity to express in writing or verbally my ideas, reactions, and observations concerning
my job and how I might improve it.
Job tranquility:
To avoid pressure and the “rat race”.
Work/life balance:
A job that allows me to achieve balance between time spent at work and time spent doing
other activities.
Family friendly:
A job that allows me to balance family and work without threatening my promotion or
advancement.
Work on the frontiers
of knowledge:
Do work In an environment that allows me to be at the cutting edge my field.
Exercise competence:
An opportunity to involve myself in those areas in which I feel I have talents greater than the
average person.
Sense of community:
Work in an environment that provides a positive sense of professional community
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CAP STEP 3: INTERESTS INVENTORY
Even if you feel confident about your future career goals, it’s a good idea to periodically assess your
career related interests. Why? Because people enjoy their work most when they are doing tasks or
learning about areas that they find interesting and engaging. To identify activities or areas of work
that will keep you engaged in your future career, use the following ranking tool.
If you had the ideal job, how much of the following tasks or activities would you enjoy doing?
4 = I would enjoy doing much of this in my future career
3 = I would enjoy doing this regularly in my future career
2 = I would enjoy doing this periodically in my future career
1 = I would prefer to do none of this in my future career
Creative/Scholarly Activities and Tasks
___Reading papers in my field or other fields (specify:_______________)
___Thinking about my research and developing new research projects/directions
___Discussing research and science with others
Research and Research Management Activities and Tasks
___Designing experiments or protocols
___Performing experiments, executing protocols, analyzing results
___Writing papers
___Securing research funding (example: writing grants, etc.)
___Creating and delivering presentations of my research
Leadership, Management and Service Activities and Tasks
___Administrative tasks (budgeting, organizing systems in the workplace)
___Networking within my professional group or environment
___Supervising others (delegating, hiring/staffing)
___Leading others (setting mission, communicating mission, coaching members of my group)
___Serving on committees; improving the organization through service
Education Activities and Tasks
___Teaching in a classroom setting
___Teaching in a clinical setting
___Mentoring (students, fellows; training others in lab or clinic, etc.)
___Developing curricula
___Teaching others how to be better teachers/educators
___Teaching others how to be better researchers
___Teaching others how to be better clinicians
Clinical Activities and Tasks
___Patient care – developing and carrying out care management plans
___Counseling patients and families
___Diagnosing/treating challenging clinical problems
Non-work Activities and Tasks
___Interests/hobbies:__________________________________________________
___Time with family or friends
___Other________________________
Of the tasks that you scored with a “3” or “4”, write down the top 3-5 of these here:
Clinically and scientifically, what fascinates you? Are there other knowledge areas or fields that you would like
to know more about?
Are there non-scientific areas that you find interesting and engaging? What passions or pursuits do you
wish played a larger role in your life? What non-scientific accomplishments do you hope to achieve in your
life?
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CAP STEP 4: UNDERSTANDING HOW YOUR SKILLS, INTERESTS, AND
VALUES WORK TOGETHER
It is important to consider your skills, interests and values all together when setting your short- and longterm career goals! Too many clinician-scientists set their career goals based only on what they’re good at
(skills) or based only on the field that they found fascinating to study (interests) many years ago. But many
career counselors agree that you are most likely to make satisfying career choices when you have a clear
understanding of how your skills, interests and values work together.
So…do all of YOUR identified skills, interests and values make sense when considered together? If not, can
you identify inconsistencies – “disconnects” – between these components, which might cause trouble for you in
the future? To consider this issue more deeply, respond to the questions below and then move on to Step 5
where you will begin to connect your skills, interests and values to potential career paths.
Examples of Inconsistencies between Skills, Interests and Values
Example 1:
Jenny has learned that she is highly proficient at designing and executing clinical research protocols (skills). However, while she does enjoy the
protocol design process, she realizes that gathering and analyzing data is painfully boring for her (interests). If she does not address this “skillsinterests disconnect”, implications might include an inability to complete research projects that she has begun. Or she may experience burnout
because her work is not engaging. Perhaps Jenny should look for ways to get help with her data gathering and analysis tasks.
__________________
Example 2:
When he completed his values assessment, George identified that it is important for him to be able to direct or control the work of others (“the
power/authority” value). Also, when he completed his interests assessment, “leading/supervising others” was listed as one of the tasks he would like
to do more of in the future. However, George’s skills assessment identified “getting along with others” as an area where he needed much
improvement. He should identify this “values-interests-skills disconnect” and realize that unless he improves his interpersonal skills, he will
experience career-limiting challenges in pursuing the kinds of leadership positions he aspires to in the future.
______________
Example 3:
Betty identifies “family friendly” as a most important value, allowing her to balance her future work with her obligations to family/friends. But she also
observes that all of her top-rated skills (“designing experiments”, “creating new research ideas”, “grant writing”, “leading others”) are consistent with
the skills required for success in a research-priority position, a job known to require sacrifice of personal time during the early years. This fellow might
identify the “values-skills disconnect” and decide to examine her interest lists to see if other career path ideas emerge, or she might consider
strategies for improving her work efficiency as a future PI so that she will have more time for family pursuits.
Compare your skills and interests and values.
Compare the list of SKILLS you identified in Step 1 against your list of INTERESTS in Step 3. Then, compare
the most important VALUES you listed in Step 2 against your lists of SKILLS and INTERESTS.
 Do your INTERESTS and your SKILLS seem consistent with each other?
o Are you developing skills in the areas that interest you?
 Do your VALUES seem consistent with your INTERESTS and SKILLS?
 If you are currently aiming for the research track, the education track or the clinician track, are your
SKILLS , INTERESTS, and career-related VALUES consistent with your understanding of what’s required to
succeed along that path?
If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then you should consider the implications of any
inconsistencies between values, interests and skills. List each inconsistency and the potential implications of
each inconsistency.
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CAP STEP 5: MATCHING SKILLS, VALUES, AND INTERESTS TO CAREER
PATH OPTIONS
Many career counselors agree that the most satisfying career path choice allows you to make the best use of
your skills in a position that is consistent with your most important values and is in a field where the tasks and
contributions interest you.
Even if you already feel confident in your chosen career path, we encourage you to go through this
exercise at least once. Thinking about how a career path matches with your skills, interests, and values can
help you articulate this in your cover letter and job interviews. Who knows, you may even learn something new
about yourself!
Following is a list of career paths commonly pursued by clinician-scientists. For each career path category,
score how well the career path matches with your skills (See Step 1 in this workbook), your values (See Step 2
in this workbook), and your interests (See Step 3 in this workbook).
For questions 1-3 above, rank on a 5-point scale how well career paths categories match with your
skills/values/interests:
1 = do not match 2 = match poorly 3 = match somewhat
4 = match fairly well
5 = match very well
? = Don’t know enough about this category
Skills
Values
Interests
Career Path Categories:
a. Faculty – clinical research track: conducting clinical research
along with clinical responsibilities in an academic medical center
b. Faculty – clinician educator track: combining teaching with
clinical responsibilities in an academic medical center
c.
Faculty – clinical/consulting track: mainly clinical responsibilities
in your specialty/sub-specialty in an academic medical center
d. Public health-related track: pursue career path that involves
health services, health policy or related research in a public sector or
non-profit environment
e. Industry research track: conduct research – drug development or
clinical research -- in an industry environment
f.
Quality improvement track: conduct research and/or evaluation of
existing clinical programs and/or processes within a healthcare
system; develop interventions to optimize quality of care, efficiency,
safety, and/or patient satisfaction
g. Careers related to the business of healthcare: management
consulting in biotech/pharma/healthcare industry; managing in a
healthcare-related organization; business development in
biotech/pharma/healthcare; investing in biotech/pharma/healthcare
h. Private practice – practice in a small group, private environment
i.
Large group/HMO – practice in a large private practice or HMO
environment
j.
Other career track: ___________________________________
1. Are there one or more career path categories that provide an excellent match for your skills and values and
interests? If so, circle or highlight these career categories.
2. Are there any career paths where you have a high score for two areas (skills or interests or values), but a
moderate or low score in one of the other areas? If so, you may want to learn more about these career
paths before discounting them.
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CAP STEP 6: CAREER PATH MAPPING
Your CAREER GOAL: If you had to choose now from the list above, what career path or career path
category would you choose at this time?
Before you can attain this career goal, you may be required to spend time in one or more transitional positions.
Or you may be required to obtain one or more qualifications or training experiences. You need to identify any
necessary transitional steps early in your career to avoid mis-steps or time wasted on unproductive pursuits.
1. Career Path Map:
Map out a viable path, including intermediate steps, to attain your stated Current Career Goal.
Example #1 – Clinician-Investigator Path: Clinical Fellow  Instructor  Assistant Professor  Associate
Professor  Professor Division Chief  Dept Chair
Example #2 – Clinician-Educator Path:
Clinical Fellow  Instructor  Assistant Professor  Associate/Full Professor  Residency and/or Clerkship
Director Dean
If you’re not sure what this route will be, do more research into what is required to attain your stated career goal
and talk to your mentors soon!
2. Your Next Step:
Right now, are there milestones to achieve (eg, K award) or additional training experiences required (eg,
biostatistics courses) to reach the next step along your desired path?
Think about how your time during fellowship should be spent to achieve needed milestones and gain necessary
experience as you begin the next step in this Career Development Process—the Annual Career Conference.
Include these items on your ACC form.
If you’re not sure what milestones or training might be required, do more research about your current Career
Goal and plan to get input from your mentors during the ACC!
3. Mentors:
As you move toward your career goal, who will be your primary mentor?
Who are other mentors you can utilize? They may be specific for content area,
Are there other types of mentors who could help you?
See the references included at the end of this workbook for more guidance on mentor selection and being a
savvy mentee.
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ANNUAL CAREER CONFERENCE FORM
PART 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION
NAME/DEGREE:
DATE:
EMAIL:
TRAINING SITE:
YEAR IN FELLOWSHIP: __ 1
__ 2
__ 3
FACULTY ADVISOR/MENTOR:
ATTACHMENTS:
CURRICULUM VITAE (IN MODIFIED HMS FORMAT)
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FORM
LISTING OF PLANNED COURSEWORK/DEGREE PROGRESS FORM
TRANSCRIPT
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PART 2 – RESEARCH CAREER PROGRESS IN THE PAST YEAR:
1.) Goals from previous year, and progress toward meeting these goals (cut and paste from previous ACC form
if applicable):
2.) Are there any reasons why you did not meet these goals? Is there anything the fellowship program could
have done/can do to help you be more successful in meeting these goals? Identify potential barriers (e.g.,
funding, mentor/collaborator support, personal issues, etc.)
3.) Research accomplishments – examples of significant scientific progress, data, breakthroughs, or obstacles
you have overcome:
4.) Research activities – Highlight major new additions to your CV here (publications, presentations, patents
issued or filed, funding, fellowships, committee membership, and awards):
5.) Professional activities - teaching, mentorship activities, supervisory responsibilities, and other (e.g.,
teamwork & collaborations):
FACULTY MENTOR’S COMMENTS/ADVICE ON RESEARCH FELLOW’S PROGRESS:
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PART 3 – RESEARCH CAREER GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR:
1.) Research activities - anticipated publications (with proposed titles and expectations of authorship) and their
current status (in progress, submitted, under review, etc.), any patent applications pending, anticipated
attendance at national or professional meetings, plans to apply for funding or fellowships, committee
memberships, awards, etc.:
2.) Research goals – examples of significant scientific obstacles to be overcome or area of focus:
3.) Professional activities -teaching, mentorship activities, supervisory responsibilities, and other (e.g., teamwork
& collaborations):
4) How can the fellowship program be more helpful to you in achieving these goals; i.e., are there specific
resources that the program can identify or make available to you?
FACULTY MENTOR’S COMMENTS/ADVICE ON RESEARCH FELLOW’S GOALS:
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PART 4 – CAREER GOALS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
1.)
etc.):
Long-term career goals and objectives (e.g., academic research career, industry research, government,
2.)
Areas of further training or skill development to enhance ability to achieve these goals [academic
development (e.g. reviewing manuscripts/grants), other: (e.g. presentation, management, or leadership skills)]:
FACULTY MENTOR’S COMMENTS/ADVICE ON RESEARCH FELLOW’S CAREER GOALS AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
FELLOW SIGNATURE: _________________________________________ DATE: _____________
FACULTY ADVISOR SIGNATURE: ________________________________ DATE: ____________
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ANNUAL CAREER CONFERENCE FORM
Supplemental Information
A. IRB Approvals: Please list all submitted, pending, and approved submissions to any
institutional review board (IRB) for current or planned research projects. Attach IRB
documentation if available.
Protocol Name
Example: Mediators for
Poor Outcomes among
Former Inmates in the
Addiction Health
Evaluation And Disease
Management
(AHEAD)Study
Protocol #
2009-P001440/1
Institution
BWH/BMC
Principal
Investigator
BWH:Hicks
BMC: Samet
IRB Review Type
(e.g., expedited,
exempt, full)
Expedited
Current
Disposition/Date
Approved
7/27/20097/27/2010
B. Ethics and Human Subjects Training: Please list all trainings, courses, and/or
certifications related to research ethics and clinical/human subject research. This may
include formal courses for degree programs, CME activities, web-based programs. Attach
any supporting documentation.
Course Name
Example: CITI Course in Human
Subjects Training
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Course
type
Online
Sponsoring
Institution
Emory University
Date
completed
2008
18