Designed to assist readers in building their careers, this book helps identify and overcome the many different obstacles of building an effective career framework. It breaks down the key to a successful career in health research, through a systematic analysis of how you can improve your curriculum vitae and positively influence external factors.

To date, non-medical researchers, particularly those working in nursing and allied health, have suffered from a general lack of good, strategic advice on how to build their careers. Designed to assist readers in building their careers, "A Self-fulfilling Prophecy: Building a Successful Career in Health Research", is a fascinating insight into author Simon Stewart's, career as a health researcher. Using his unique experiences as a basis for the book, Stewart helps identify and overcome the many different obstacles of building an effective career framework. The book breaks down the key to a successful career in health research, through a systematic analysis of how you can improve your curriculum vitae and positively influence external factors that will determine the eventual success of your career. PhD candidates and Post-Doctoral Fellows provide insights into how they have developed their own research careers, thus providing evidence that it is possible to achieve something substantive if you are able to think and judge your career in a critical manner.;"A Self-fulfilling Prophecy: Building a Successful Career in Health Research" offers guidance on the following issues: How to choose an attractive research topic; How to benchmark yourself against peer competitors; How to compose a competitive research grant application; How to improve your overall skills as a health research; and, How to break the mould and stand out as a health researcher. This book will be a useful and informative read for anyone who is starting a career in both non-medical and medical health research or for readers who are looking for direction and inspiration in their existing career.

• Author Profile.

  Preface.

  Foreword.

  CHAPTER 1 -- Becoming a strategic researcher: Increasing your chances of long--term success.

  Introduction.

  Mentors and role models.

  Positive Peer Relationships.

  Hot Research Topics.

  Active Professional Engagement.

  Rapid Career Progress.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 2 -- Critical self--analysis and personal improvement: Do I currently have the skills and knowledge to become an expert health researcher?

  Introduction.

  Critically evaluating your strengths and weaknesses.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 3 -- Benchmarking your capabilities and performance: Improving your chances of success within a competitive environment.

  Introduction.

  Benchmarking your career progress.

  Identifying Your Career Targets.

  Profiling Your Competitors/Peers.

  Understanding the Background to Research: Australia's National Priorities in Funding Health Research.

  Purpose of Personal Support: The NHMRC Post--Doctoral Training Fellowships.

  Scoring Individual Applications.

  Picking the Winners.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 4 -- Choosing the "cutting--edge" of health research.

  Introduction.

  Identifying a "hot" research topic.

  New Research Horizons: The Heart of Soweto Study.

  Taking it one step further: Identifying a unique topic.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 5 -- From potential to reality: the importance of achieving timely milestones to bring your research to fruition.

  Introduction.

  Completing a timely and successful PhD.

  Key Qualities of a PhD Qualified Researcher.

  Consolidating a foundation for success: Post--Doctoral Fellowship.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 6 -- Becoming a prolific publisher.

  Introduction.

  Publishing -- What should you be aiming for?

  Key attributes of a prolific publisher.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 7 -- Successfully applying for competitive research funds to support your career path and research program.

  Introduction.

  Improving your chances of funding success.

  Putting it all together as part of a persuasive research application.

  Developing a compelling Curriculum Vitae.

  Useful Internet sites for CV writing .

  Completing a successful interview.

  Summary.

  CHAPTER 8 -- Putting it all together: A self--fulfilling prophecy of career success in health research.

  Introduction.

  Personal reflections on research career.

  References.

It will be an informative read and invaluable resource for anyone who is starting a career in health research... (Journal of Advanced Nursing, November 2007)