The Reformscape database is designed to inspire university leaders by collecting examples of responsible career assessment. A new online resource brings together universities’ research-assessment and career-development policies to help the academic community make hiring, promotion and tenure procedures fairer, more robust and more diverse. Read more in Nature.
careers
The scientists who switched focus to fight climate change
Four researchers describe how they found different ways of responding to the planet’s biggest threat — from quitting tenure to overhauling their academic programme. It was during a car journey to California in temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 °C that Sophie Gilbert decided she needed to make a major career change. Driving to visit family from […]
Exam delays throw residents’ careers into limbo
Canada’s resident doctors are preparing for major disruptions to their lives and careers from the deferral of licensing exams until the fall or beyond. On March 20, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada announced that written licensing exams scheduled for the end of March and April, and the oral exams to follow, […]
Recruitment of medical residents much more intense in US than in Canada
Many final-year resident physicians in the United States are facing more job offers than they can handle, as recruiting companies scramble to fill vacancies around the country. A survey by the physician search firm Merritt Hawkins found that 66% of residents received more than 51 job solicitations during their training; 45% received 100 or more. […]
Work–life advantages of becoming a salaried physician may be oversold
The way doctors want to practise medicine in Canada is changing. The new generation of physicians is less interested in independent practice as they seek better work–life balance and financial security. More than half of resident doctors in Canada would give up some clinical autonomy for a salaried position that included health benefits, pensions and […]
New Brunswick seeks better system for physician recruitment to rural areas
Doctors in New Brunswick are happy with the provincial government’s new plan to do away with the unpopular billing-number system that controls where, and how many, physicians can practise in the province. The government recently announced that it would “work with doctors on alternatives to billing numbers and on payment models that encourage collaboration, wellness, […]
The benefits and challenges of international research collaboration
Working with international colleagues can provide new insights and even a career boost, but it takes patience and planning. Academic research is becoming ever more international. Whether it is to gain access to specialized equipment, develop new ideas or tap into new sources of funding, researchers are reaching out to their colleagues around the world, […]