New Doctor - Medical Protection Society

12
SPECIALTY FEATURE
NEW DOCTOR | VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 2 | 2012 | UNITED KINGDOM www.mps.org.uk
In the likes
of Holby City
and Scrubs you
are unlikely to see
someone from the world
of academic medicine rushing
to save the day. However, at the
real cutting edge of medicine you’ll
find medical academics. They may not
feature in many medical soap operas,
but underpinning all medical specialties
is a creative, scientific force pushing
scientific boundaries.
Medical academics are an incredibly
diverse group of individuals, and this is
reflected in the diversity of their work.
The unique perspective of the clinicianscientist
can prompt some of the best
research, inspired by clinical problems
and an understanding of the patients’
and clinicians’ viewpoint.
At the heart of academic medicine
is communication. If you can’t
communicate your findings, discuss
your proposed studies or work with a
varied group of colleagues, you’ll never
succeed in research. This is far from the
negative stereotype of the ‘mad boffin’
unable to talk to normal people. It is a
highly creative form of medicine and
allows an enormous sense of freedom
to direct your career. You can take a
problem that excites your curiosity,
design a study and (after much hard
work) try and solve it.
Academic medicine allows you to
become a true expert in your field and
allows a freedom to choose the direction
of your career in a way that is rare in
clinical medicine.
How to train in academic medicine
The Walport report was published in
2005 and it was aimed at addressing
the problem of recruitment into
academic medicine. It identified a lack
of a clear career structure as a barrier to
young doctors being able to establish
themselves in academic medicine. This
led to the development of an integrated
career structure that combined
academic and clinical training.
There are three main entry points into
academic medicine.
How to work in...
academic medicine
■ ■The
academic foundation programme
allows foundation doctors to
spend four months in an academic
A career in academic medicine
opens up a chance to work at the
frontier of medical science, writes
Dr Cathy Symonds
placement, allowing them to get a
grounding in research methodology.
■ ■Academic
Clinical Fellowships
(ACFs) are generally taken up by
core trainees in ST1-3, although you
can take up such posts at any point
in training. ACFs are available in all
medical specialties; 25% of the time
is spent in academic work. ACFs
must also achieve the same clinical
competencies as their purely clinical
colleagues but they are also expected
to meet academic competencies.
Ultimately, it is expected that ACFs will
formulate a study and use their time
to achieve pilot data that will allow
them to take time out of programme
to achieve a PhD. ACF programmes
are run through posts and run for a
maximum of three years. If an ACF
wishes to, or fails to progress, then
the post can revert to a standard
clinical post.
■ ■ For higher trainees who already have
a PhD or an MD, Academic Clinical
Lectureships (ACLs) are the next step
on the academic career ladder. Like
ACFs, lectureship posts are integrated
with clinical training, but 50% of the
time is spent as an academic. It is
expected that ACLs will build on their
doctoral research and develop a body
of work to apply for funding for a
clinician scientist award.
The clinical scientist is the ultimate aim of
the integrated academic pathway. This
combines NHS consultant work with
leading your own research group.
What do academics do?
Academics work in all fields of medicine,
from gastroenterologists working on
the basic science of immunology to
psychiatrists studying patients with
functional MRI to oncologists carrying
out qualitative work. What all this
work has in common is the process
of approaching problems scientifically.
It begins with an understanding and
a critical
approach to
existing literature.
Discussion with
colleagues is key in
formulating research questions
and designing studies to answer
them. In academic medicine you work
with a whole team of different people
and draw on their skills. As you progress
through your career, the contacts you
make can shape your work.
Communicating the findings of your
research is the most important role of
an academic. This can be in the form
of papers in journals; in seminars or
lectures to both undergraduates and
postgraduates; or in presentations at
conferences anywhere in the world.
Academics can be inspiring teachers
and be involved in both undergraduate
and postgraduate education.
At the heart of academic
medicine is communication.
If you can’t communicate
your findings, discuss
your proposed studies or
work with a varied group
of colleagues, you’ll never
succeed in research
What does it take?
Above all else academic medicine takes
a passion for your chosen subject.
Without passion, you will find it very
hard to keep motivated. Creative
flair to generate ideas and questions
is essential. Above all else, it takes
dedication and a drive to see an idea
through over a period of years.
Experience of research earned
through intercalated degrees or
whilst working is desirable, and it is
expected that someone applying for
an academic job at any level will have
taken every opportunity open to them
to gain experience of research, develop
research skills and publish in journals.