The Student Room Group

How to enter clinical academia?

Hello all,
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by catrin2020
what would be the next step?


This would probably attract more attention in the "Current Medical Students and Doctors" forum: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=356

The pure clinical academic pathway now is:

-Medical school

-Academic Foundation Programme (FY1-FY2) - same as the standard foundation programme that everyone else does but with (usually) one four month rotation set aside for research.

-Academic Clinical Fellowship (ST1-ST3) - Three years with nine months protected for research. ACFs are attached to a specialty and are run-through, which means that you do not have to compete again to enter higher specialist training (ST3+). Non-academic trainees compete to enter ST1-ST2 and then again for ST3. Run-through training is a God-send in very competitive specialties as it provides job security that non-academic trainees do not have.

-MD/PhD - The ACF is traditionally used to seek independent funding to support an MD/PhD. As you will already have a PhD, you will probably be looking for 1-2 years postdoctoral funding to make yourself competitive for the next stage. This is time "out of programme" and so extends the duration of your training.

-Clinical Lectureship (ST4-ST8) - At this stage you usually do 50% clinical and 50% academic work. Your grade in the hospital after ST3 in most specialties is as a "Registrar".

-Senior Clinical Lectureship - How you divide your time between academic and clinical work at this point depends on your interests, institution, and funding. In the hospital you work as a consultant but your employer is usually a university.

-Professor - The ultimate goal is to have lots of research funding, a big group of researchers, and just do whatever interests you most in the hospital (you are employed by the university so anything you give the hospital is "free" for which they should be grateful...)

Each stage is competitive and will depend on your publications and funding. None of the stages are mandatory (e.g. you could join the regular non-academic Foundation Programme but still be awarded an Academic Clinical Fellowship afterwards) but staying on the pathway is your best chance of being competitive for the next post.

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