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Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers.

Publication ,  Journal Article
DeCastro, R; Sambuco, D; Ubel, PA; Stewart, A; Jagsi, R
Published in: Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
April 2013

Professional rejection is a frequent experience in an academic medical career. The authors sought to understand how rejection affects those pursuing such careers and why some individuals may be more resilient than others in a population of individuals with demonstrated ability and interest in research careers.Between February 2010 and August 2011, the authors conducted semistructured, in-depth telephone interviews with 100 former recipients of National Institutes of Health mentored career development awards and 28 of their mentors. Purposive sampling ensured a diverse range of viewpoints. Multiple analysts thematically coded verbatim transcripts using qualitative data analysis software.Participants described a variety of experiences with criticism and rejection in their careers, as well as an acute need for persistence and resilience in the face of such challenges. Through their narratives, participants also vividly described a range of emotional and behavioral responses to their experiences of professional rejection. Their responses illuminated the important roles that various factors, including mentoring and gender, have played in shaping the ultimate influence of rejection on their own careers and on the careers of those they have mentored.Responses to rejection vary considerably, and negative responses can lead promising individuals to abandon careers in academic medicine. Resilience does not, however, seem to be immutable-It can be learned. Given the frequency of experiences with rejection in academic medicine, strategies such as training mentors to foster resilience may be particularly helpful in improving faculty retention in academic medicine.

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Published In

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

DOI

EISSN

1938-808X

ISSN

1040-2446

Publication Date

April 2013

Volume

88

Issue

4

Start / End Page

497 / 504

Related Subject Headings

  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Research Personnel
  • Rejection, Psychology
  • Mentors
  • Male
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Female
  • Faculty, Medical
  • Education, Medical
 

Citation

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MLA
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DeCastro, R., Sambuco, D., Ubel, P. A., Stewart, A., & Jagsi, R. (2013). Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers. Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 88(4), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0b013e318285f3c0
DeCastro, Rochelle, Dana Sambuco, Peter A. Ubel, Abigail Stewart, and Reshma Jagsi. “Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers.Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 88, no. 4 (April 2013): 497–504. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0b013e318285f3c0.
DeCastro R, Sambuco D, Ubel PA, Stewart A, Jagsi R. Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2013 Apr;88(4):497–504.
DeCastro, Rochelle, et al. “Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers.Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, vol. 88, no. 4, Apr. 2013, pp. 497–504. Epmc, doi:10.1097/acm.0b013e318285f3c0.
DeCastro R, Sambuco D, Ubel PA, Stewart A, Jagsi R. Batting 300 is good: perspectives of faculty researchers and their mentors on rejection, resilience, and persistence in academic medical careers. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2013 Apr;88(4):497–504.

Published In

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

DOI

EISSN

1938-808X

ISSN

1040-2446

Publication Date

April 2013

Volume

88

Issue

4

Start / End Page

497 / 504

Related Subject Headings

  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Research Personnel
  • Rejection, Psychology
  • Mentors
  • Male
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Female
  • Faculty, Medical
  • Education, Medical