Including Industry Career Paths in Academic Training Programs

Lea Martin, PhD¹; Valerie Silfee, PhD²; Cynthia Castro Sweet, PhD, FSBM³; on behalf of the Industry Connections Committee

Trainees are highly interested in careers outside of academia, yet they often have difficulty exploring these careers through their academic training programs. In this article, we offer helpful suggestions for training programs to support students’ curiosity and introduce them to industry careers.

Industry-focused Seminars

Training programs regularly have seminars with invited guest speakers; these are great opportunities to bring in BMed specialists working in start-ups, private healthcare organizations, and large corporations. Panels with several speakers are a great way to expose students to the variety of industry roles – for example, consulting, in-house clinical research, clinical product development, and UX Research. The SBM Consultation Program can help you identify industry professionals to talk with your students.

Training in industry settings

 Think outside of the box to offer clinical and research opportunities in industry settings. This exposure allows students with a curiosity for industry to ‘try it on’. Opportunities will vary by company: some may offer formal placements, others may offer positions on an ad-hoc basis that can be customized for students. Your alumni network and SBM are rich resources for finding companies that are willing to offer these short-term training opportunities. In addition to helping students locate opportunities, it is important to offer students support for their industry training. For example, allow students to use industry training to fulfill program requirements, similar to how clinical or research work would be considered. Furthermore, industry opportunities may not follow the traditional academic calendar, so clear communication and expectation setting between institutions is crucial.

Engage Alumni and Professional Societies

 Alumni are powerful resources to support students who are interested in industry careers. Alumni can speak specifically to their experiences transitioning from academia to industry, relay what a ‘day in the life’ is like in their roles, offer advice for translating academic skills to industry settings, and give advice on what to look for in a job or organization. If you aren’t sure about your alumni industry connections or want to broaden your network of resources, connect with the SBM Industry Connections Committee (ICC) to help you identify industry professionals who will talk with your students. SBM also has an online consultation program, with member mentors standing by to answer your questions. It features an industry-specific portal!

Offer support for job searching

The industry job market is vastly different from academic job searches. While academic programs may feel unequipped to help with industry roles, your most important action is to support industry positions as valid options. If students feel their choices are supported, they will be more likely to seek your help and share their search experiences. Campus career centers are readily prepared to help trainees turn CVs into resumes, teach them to draft cover letters, and practice interviewing for corporate positions. You can help students identify the skills that are easily transferable to industry roles - public speaking, science communication, research project management, clinical quality improvement, etc. Connecting students to industry mentors and alumni will provide them helpful resources and support for their search.

Helpful Resources for Trainees:

Transitioning from Academia ; Training the Next Generation

Affiliations:

1. Sutter Health
2. WW International, Inc.
3. Hinge Health, Inc.