Early career professional development issues for military academic psychiatrists

Objective: Academically motivated graduates of military psychiatric residency programs confront serious challenges. Method: In this article, the authors present a junior faculty development model organized around four overlapping domains: mentorship, scholarship, research, and career planning/development. Using these four domains as a platform for discussion, the authors focus on challenges facing academically oriented early-career military psychiatrists and provide guidance. Conclusion: The authors believe that a proactive stance, skillful mentoring, self-awareness through conscious planning and effort, ability to capitalize on existing opportunities for growth, and attention to detail are all vital to the junior military psychiatrist.