Jobs held by U.S. biomedical science Ph.D.'s have shifted away from academia toward industry. The total number of academic positions remained constant during a period in which the total number of U.S. biomedical Ph.D.'s increased. In 1981, 15.6 percent of biomedical scientists worked in industry nine to 10 years after receiving their doctorate, compared with 31.9 percent in 1995. Job expectations of predoctoral students and postdoctoral associates should be tempered by current trends, and faculty mentors should encourage students to consider a wide range of employment goals. We oppose suggestions that biomedical Ph.D. production be regulated at the national level.
Biomedical research is at the threshold of exciting new discoveries.
There is tremendous potential, but we cannot determine the exact impact of biomedical research advances on the job market. Projections of work force needs are inexact, and changes in many areas of the economy affect employment trends. Since future employment demands for biomedical Ph.D.'s cannot be determined precisely, and the success of our higher education system has been so profound, we should not rush to alter graduate education. Similarly, we oppose suggestions that biomedical Ph.D. production be regulated by arbitrarily capping the number of non-U.S. predoctoral students. Applicants from both the U.S. and abroad should be judged on their qualifications.