APS Education List of Professional Skills for Physiologists and Tranees

This is another area that is vital to any career and, in truth, to daily life. Problem-solving and planning skills, as well as literature skills, can be utilized regardless of the type of work in which the physiologist is engaged. Time and resource management are crucial to life at work and home. Skills in experimental design, while of most necessity to the scientific researcher, also can be useful in other careers, and information technology skills must be constantly upgraded in all professional fields. Many of the skills in this section are often categorized as critical thinking skills, underscoring their generality and applicability to many fields of endeavor. Research and analytical skills are important for physiologists working in all career areas.

Major Skills		A Trainee will understand the importance of and work to develop.

A. Problem solving/reasoning		Ability to conceptualize problems Ability to brainstorm (and question) ideas in a group Ability to combine and integrate information from disparate sources Ability to break down and understand complex content Ability to solve problems by staying current and up-to-date in new technologies Ability to use troubleshooting skills Ability to identify irregular results Ability to evaluate hypotheses and data critically Ability to reach and defend independent conclusions Knowledge of appropriate qualitative approaches to research problems Ability to express a problem or solution using quantitative approaches Ability to generate multiple solutions Ability to develop creative solutions (divergent thinking) Ability to support a position or viewpoint with argumentation and logic ability to interpret data validly

B. Planning

Ability to prioritize tasks
Ability to identify needed resources
Knowledge of how to implement and manage all phases of complex research projects and follow them through to completion
Knowledge of how to develop and implement a budget

C. Experimental design

Knowledge of the scientific method to organize and test ideas and hypotheses
Ability to recognize meaningful problems and questions for research
Ability to define the problem precisely
Knowledge of different research methodologies
Ability to select appropriate instruments to acquire data
Skill in designing experimental protocols, including appropriate use and number of experimental subjects
Understanding of the principles and procedures for institutional approval for use of animal/human subjects
Skill in evaluating experimental evidence
Ability to draw conclusions from data (data analysis)

D. Informational technology

Skill with computers, both software (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Internet, email) and basic equipment setup
Ability to select appropriate graphical methods and approapriate use of graphical representations
Proficiency in information storage and retrieval
Knowledge of and ability to use large information databases, including ability to search databases effectively

E. Data analysis

Knowledge of and ability to select appropriate statistical approaches
Ability to determine accuracy of computed results

F. Time management

Organizational skills
Ability to prioritize tasks and troubleshoot
Ability to plan a project timeline
Knowledge of how to track projects

G. Resource management

Ability to organize resources for projects
Knowledge of how to maintain equipment/work area
Knowledge of inventory and supply maintenance
Knowledge of personnel management (see section 7)
Ability to manage contracts and negotiate with outside vendors

H. Scientific literature

Familiarity with the research literature of physiology, including familiarity with major historical developments
Ability to read the primary literature
Ability to keep abreast of major research developments both within a particular research area and in the general area of physiology
Ability to locate and assimilate new information rapidly

Items with blue highlight indicate skills that students would be more likely to develop after their graduate training.

For questions or comments, please contact:
APS Education Office
301-634-7132