Career Advancement
ASN is committed to fostering career development for current and future kidney health professionals at stage in professional life. The resources contained in these pages aim to strengthen the pipeline of health professionals, scientists, and educators in nephrology and empower ASN members to become leaders in health care practice, research, and education as well as administration and management.
Resources
- ASN Career Center
Job seekers can post resumes, search the latest job postings, and create personalized job agents that will seek out and notify them of opportunities based on selected criteria. - Careers in Nephrology
Vignettes of individuals who are examples of different types and stages of careers in nephrology. Each person describes their career path, key factors in their success, lifestyle issues, what motivates them and other areas. - Career Resource Videos
This career resource video series offers insights into choosing a career in nephrology, from the perspective of fellows and young nephrologists. These videos will explore the many career paths available in nephrology, the qualities of a nephrologist, and the rewards of pursuing a career in nephrology. - Nephrology Training Information
Information for nephrology training including medical students, PhD students, residents, fellows, and early career kidney professionals. - Kidney News Online Careers in Practice
Articles, perspectives, podcasts, and other resources around careers in nephrology. - Professional Portfolios
The professional portfolio is a CV supplement that is a detailed compilation of clinical, educational, research, and community service activities. It showcases the quality and extent of clinical expertise, educational scholarship, research activities, and other non-traditional arenas not typically covered in a CV, making this body of work peer reviewable.
Career Advancement Series
ASN has joined with Women in Nephrology (WIN) to develop a series of educational programs based on identified knowledge gaps related to career paths within the field of nephrology. The WIN-ASN Career Advancement Series will include programs presented as original (live/remote) webinars that will be electronically captured and made available for follow-up viewing on the ASN Learning Center.
Sponsorship and Mentorship
ASN recognizes the value of sponsorship and mentorship for trainees and young nephrologists, and is currently exploring ways to provide guidance in navigating such relationships for its members.
The following overview is extracted from a paper by Sarah S. Prichard, MD:
A role model is a person regarded by others as a good example to follow, whose behaviors, example or success is to be emulated by and gives inspiration to others, especially younger persons. In a professional context, a role model is often someone with whom the younger person can identify. A key point about a role model is that they may or may not have a personal relationship with the younger person.
A mentor is someone who teaches, coaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and usually younger individual. A mentor has had a similar experience or has a specific set of skills that the mentee is seeking to develop. The mentoring process always involves communication and is relationship based between the mentor and the mentee. Mentoring guides and encourages people in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills and improve their performance so that they become the person they aspire to be. By its very nature, mentoring is a time consuming and personal commitment between the mentor and mentee. A successful mentor will ask thoughtful questions, set mutually agreed upon goals and rules of engagement, offer honest and constructive feedback, be available and be able to have some degree of empathy with the mentee.
A sponsor is a senior person who vouches for an individual's capabilities and opens professional or personal opportunities for an individual that they might otherwise not get and in doing so gives positive exposure to that younger individual. It is the credibility of the sponsor that is the enabling aspect of the sponsor's role. A sponsor must know enough about an individual to allow the sponsor to be confident that the individual is capable of succeeding in a role for which they are being proposed, but the relationship does not have to be a close one as it is for a mentor.