Postdoctoral Opportunities for Nursing PhD Graduates: A Resource Guide

Before completing a nursing PhD program, doctoral students are encouraged to seek out and apply for a position in one of many, often highly competitive postdoctoral programs. These programs include the more traditional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded experiences, such as the T32, as well as the nontraditional institution funded positions, including the associate faculty role. Graduates often need guidance on which postdoctoral programs are available, the resources each program offers to promote development of the applicant's program of research, the disadvantages of each program, and what each program uses as benchmarks for success. This article summarizes both traditional and nontraditional postdoctoral positions including the T32, F32, F99/K00, T90/R90, research supplements, associate faculty, research associate, and hospital-affiliated postdoctoral positions. This article updates previous papers describing postdoctoral opportunities and offers a starting place to aide PhD students planning their postgraduate activities in seeking and evaluating these positions.