ACR Career Roadmap for Trainees

Congratulations on choosing rheumatology as a career! Your journey through fellowship is an important time in your life to develop the foundations for your future. We hope the following timeline is helpful in providing an overview for your career development process. While every individual’s plans are different, the following roadmap was developed and based on insights and guidance from academic leaders/investigators, practitioners, and fellows.

General Information

Start thinking about your career early! The sooner you know where you’re headed, the sooner your department can help you to get there (or achieve your desired goals).
Be diligent in meeting with your program director and division chief each semester. Take note that these two will have different interests and concerns. Your program director’s role will help you to identify your individual interests and career development; your division chief can help you to identify your interests in the context of the needs of the entire department.
Look for a mentor in your area of interest in research or clinical practice. Sometimes, these may include mentors outside your department.
Don’t be limited by convention. For example, if you have a research idea that hasn’t been explored, talk with your program director/chief and ask them to direct you to the most appropriate person to see if your idea is plausible.

Timeline by Training Year

Year 1

Join the American College of Rheumatology as a trainee member.
Check the Fellows section of the ACR Web site for announcements, updates, and award opportunities.
Ask your Program Director about signing up for the Fellows-in-Training scholarship to attend the ACR annual meeting.
Attend local rheumatology meetings as a way to network with physicians in academics, industry and practice.
Take every opportunity to learn broadly about the field. Tailor your electives to your eventual career goals. Consider electives in physical medicine, radiology, orthopedics, sports medicine, hand clinic, podiatry, pulmonary, and/or renal clinics, which may prove invaluable for future private practice or forming your research interests.
Consider joining up with faculty in writing/publishing a review article or case report. This may be an opportunity to learn more about your area of interest, and also provide insight to your compatibility with that faculty member as a future mentor.
Early in the year, meet with different faculty members in your department to hear about their research careers (i.e., clinical, translational, basic). Start to narrow down your interests and identify potential mentors/researchers within the first six months. Former fellows or senior fellows may have specific insight into who may best assist you in getting started.
Before meeting with your mentor, be thorough and read about their body of research/interests and ask other fellows about their experiences with this mentor. Develop a research plan.
Consider a Masters or PhD training program. Talk with your program director about the details and timelines for your institution.

Year 2

Academic Medicine Track:

Your research plan should be in place by now.
If your research project will take longer than a year to finish, then consider a smaller secondary project that may give you results (e.g., abstract, poster submission, small manuscript) in the meantime.
Sit down with your mentor and discuss future funding issues. Be aware of grant deadlines, which are often in the early fall (August/September). It often takes one to three months to write a complete grant.
Visit the ACR Web site funding resources section for fellows to keep an eye out for potential grant opportunities.
Watch for seminars and other opportunities offered by your institution for grant writing courses or trainee workshops that may help in your career development. Opportunities for careers in industry are also available as options to explore.

Practice Track:

For those who are considering a focus on clinical rheumatology outside the academic arena, find an opportunity to shadow and be a part of the private practice/clinical setting. It is important to actually have the experience rather than talking to a private practitioner/clinician on a theoretical level. Being able to experience practices first hand will help you to decide if this might be the path for you.
Explore different types of practice settings (solo, single specialty group, multispecialty group).
Consider getting certified in reading bone densitometry and ultrasound.
Explore job/career fairs offered locally by your institution.

Optional Year 3 and Beyond

The option may exist to continue with fellowship through a third year and beyond if you can secure funding through the department or through grants.
This year should be focused toward continued development of projects, and solidifying your research career goals and to apply for additional funding, such as career development grants.
It is important to discuss with your program director and mentor the goals and plan for these extra year(s) of training to ensure financial support of your efforts.
Use additional time to explore job opportunities both within and outside your institution.

If you have additional suggestions or comments to add, please contact the ACR Fellows Subcommittee at . We are always working to improve our Web site content and quality.