A person in a post-doctoral position usually has a supervisor or mentor who prepares the individual for a career in academic research. The university sponsoring the post-doc research also expects publication of the research.
A person does not need a Ph.D. to enter a post-doc program, but equivalents such as doctorate of law, doctorate of medicine, doctorate of dental surgery or any foreign degree with as much education as a typical doctoral degree will suffice.
Post-doctoral degrees are not meant to act as permanent employment. According to the National Postdoctoral Association, the average researcher spends five years in their post-doc position before moving to permanent employment.
In 2005, about 70 percent of postdoctoral positions were related to science fields, 25 percent were in health positions and five percent in were in education.
Postdoctoral students are essential for academic research--43 percent of first-time authors are postdoctoral students. In addition, they help train undergraduates in the principles of research.