Guest copacetic Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 much of my experience has with physicians has been primarily with academics. as such, they have heavily influenced my interests in medicine, and clinical research. im wondering though, if anyone can offer some perspective on a life in academia. ive talked to some of my mentors and ive heard it from the horses mouth, but im also interested in seeing what the outside perspective is (namely for interests sake). What are your opinions on the pros and cons of a life in academia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavius Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 Pros: -you are the master of your time (Flexible) -you're not profit driven so the atmosphere is slightly more relaxed -prestige - publish more in high impact journal, reputation goes up, more grant money and more trust in you as a clinician -you're knowlegeable in your field and you'll be advancing it (possibly) -you meet other researchers forming a good network Cons: -you have to beg various agencies for money, this form of begging takes hours and depends on your reputation as a researcher -pay is junk -collaborators with other political goals and views -meeting with snide self applauding people -it's an entire operation unto itself in addition to your real job -if you're not interested, it will be hell -the significance of your contributions may be minimal or even un-reportable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 how's the pay differential? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 how's the pay differential? from my understanding it depends on the specialty and the amount of research you do. but typically youll be earning anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 what your fellow private practice colleagues might earn mainly cause youre not spending as much time seeing patients and doing procedures etc. you do get great benefits though, out of this world actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Pros: -you are the master of your time (Flexible) -you're not profit driven so the atmosphere is slightly more relaxed -prestige - publish more in high impact journal, reputation goes up, more grant money and more trust in you as a clinician -you're knowlegeable in your field and you'll be advancing it (possibly) -you meet other researchers forming a good network yeah time is very flexible from my understanding, though you end up spending alot of your 'free time' reading journal articles and 'thinking' working with ideas and concepts and pursuing promising avenues of investigation. -i think one other benefit that could be added is that academic in teaching hospitals tend to see some pretty interesting and complex cases. so there is quite a bit of intellectual stimulation. -i suppose if you want to make money as an academic you could always discover something like some new diagnostic technique and patent it. happens in psych all the time. in terms of beggin for money this seems to be true to a certain extent. you could always spend your time doing clinical trials. the insurance companies and drug companies of big pharma practically throw funds at you to do these trials, though you lose a bit of your intellectual freedom this way and you might face some friction if you find results that big pharma wont like, lol. Cons: -you have to beg various agencies for money, this form of begging takes hours and depends on your reputation as a researcher -pay is junk -collaborators with other political goals and views -meeting with snide self applauding people -it's an entire operation unto itself in addition to your real job -if you're not interested, it will be hell -the significance of your contributions may be minimal or even un-reportable! -one thing i have found that i dislike so far is bureacracy. you need to be patient if you want to go into academia, though if you have good mentors, they can teach you the 'tricks of the trade' so to speak. how to get stuff done as quick as possible (in a bureacracy) -there is also alot of politics which i dislike. anyone else have any thoughts, comments, insights, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 from my understanding it depends on the specialty and the amount of research you do. but typically youll be earning anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 what your fellow private practice colleagues might earn mainly cause youre not spending as much time seeing patients and doing procedures etc. you do get great benefits though, out of this world actually. please explain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 if youre a physician in private practice seeing patients 2-3 days a week and doing procedures 1-2 days a week, youll be earning more than an academic who spends anywhere from 25-100% of their time doing research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 i was referring to the "great benefits" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 i was referring to the "great benefits" -the university usually has some deal where they cover the education costs of your children (in full). -working for a hospital usualy gets you amazing coveragin on drugs and everything else that the canada health act does not cover -you usually have a private pension on top of the government pension which effectively doubles your income when you are retired -protected time off so you get paid when you're off, and dont have to go through the hassle of arranging locums and what not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 -the university usually has some deal where they cover the education costs of your children (in full). -working for a hospital usualy gets you amazing coveragin on drugs and everything else that the canada health act does not cover -you usually have a private pension on top of the government pension which effectively doubles your income when you are retired -protected time off so you get paid when you're off, and dont have to go through the hassle of arranging locums and what not when you consider that they make hundreds of thousands less every year, those health/education benefits aren't that great the pension is good though, but need some numbers to really evaluate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 when you consider that they make hundreds of thousands less every year, those health/education benefits aren't that great the pension is good though, but need some numbers to really evaluate it there was an article in the toronto star recently that compared different types of pensions. but if you want numbers, you have to understand that it depends on alot of factors. your speciality, whetehr you do procedures or not, the amount of time you spend doing research or seeing patients, the institution youre at. (there are some academics that are on ffs rather than salaried) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 when you consider that they make hundreds of thousands less every year, those health/education benefits aren't that great Many CS's make about the same amount as a straight up clinician. It really depends on the specialty, how you're employed, and your clinical/research split. If you're interested in making lots of money, though, there are easier ways in life. Go into academia because you love it, and the pay won't ever be an issue... if you're not into it, money won't make it more bearable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 do you have the torontostar link? also, what's a CS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rarkon Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 do you have the torontostar link? also, what's a CS? I think it is a clinician scientist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 I think it is a clinician scientist. Yeah, sorry... my bad. For those who want more info: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/22030.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Yeah, sorry... my bad. For those who want more info: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/22030.html great info, though it paints a pretty gloomy picture of academia near the end, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest copacetic Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 from my understanding, the situation for academics in the united states has been a bit worse under george's bush's cuts to the NIH funds. how have canadian academics fared? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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