Medical Residency + PhD part-time?

Good morning everyone. I'm a med student, I was just wondering if there is a possibility to do a PhD (part-time of course) during the Foundation Programme and after. I know the existence of the AFP, but it's very competitive and difficult to get in. My elective way would just to do a PhD in the meanwhile, to dedicate some time to research. Is that possible? Many thanks,

Alex

Reply 1

Helenia

I think it would depend on the nature of your PhD. It would be very difficult to fit something lab-based around a foundation job, as you'd be needed at work during most daytime hours, when most labs are open, except when on nights etc. If you were doing something more library/literature/computer-based, it might be more feasible.

It's far more common to take specific time out of training for a PhD though, either as part of an AFP/ACF or just as time out of training, often doing some locum work to earn a bit of extra money.

Reply 2

AlexLeo

Hello Helenia, thanks for your answer! Unfortunately I strongly believe I won't able to do such a thing, since, for personal reasons, I shall have to complete the residency "asap". Do you know, a part from AFP, if there are other ways to do research during residency?

Reply 3

Helenia

Original post by AlexLeo

Firstly, it's really not called residency in the UK, so using that term can cause confusion. The foundation programme is only two years, so obviously it would not be possible to complete a PhD even full-time in that time.

If you are working in a hospital which participates in research and happen to have a consultant who's actively involved, then you could potentially get involved in some research - this might get you posters/publications but is unlikely to get you a formal qualification.