Academia Beyond the Foundations: A Retrospective View

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Academia Beyond the Foundations A Retrospective
View
Academic Sharing Notable Practice
Conference London, March 2009
Adam P.R. Smith
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My Winding Path!
1998
Medicine at UCL
Intercalated BSc Neuroscience
2000-2001
MB PhD Programme PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience
2002-2004
Visiting Post-Doc, UCI
2006
Academic Foundation Programme SETFS (Kings
College Hospital)
2008
Academic Clinical Fellow in Paediatrics London
(Institute of Child Health)
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The Foundation Programme

• 2 year Academic Foundation Programme in
  Paediatrics in SETFS, based entirely at KCH
• F1 3 months surgery, 3 months paediatrics, 6
  months medicine
• - existence of academic teaching programme
  in addition to generic F1 teaching, but
  rarely possible to attend
• F2 4 months AE, 4 months neonates, 4 months
  academic
• - monthly academic teaching programme with
  skills talks and academic keynote speakers

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Strengths and Weaknesses
Opportunity to work in academic environment
taster, different areas/techniques, produce work!
Less clinical time (normally instead of GP)
Additional training in generic academic skills
Limited time for substantial contribution to
research
Privileged clinical placements
Administration/timing difficulties
Loss of on call experience and money
Contacts and CV
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Areas for Development

• Greater central support for well designed
  academic teaching programmes
• Awareness of particular administrative issues
  for academic trainees and planning to overcome
  these
• Dedicated consultant as point of contact for
  academic trainees within each trust
• Linkage of academic and clinical placements in
  FY2
• Early planning of academic projects across all
  programmes
• Funding support for conferences etc.
• Academic blocks better placed later in FY2 to
  facilitate planning and make it easier to do
  locum work if desired

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Summary

• AFPs are natural step on clinical academic
  career path
• Also provide taste of research experience, and
  grounding in academic approach for clinicians
  with academic interests
• Relatively new programme with some difficulties
  integrating with normal clinical programme
• Further steps along clincial/academic path
  require further compromises
• Greater central support for and understanding
  of academic programmes needed to maximise
  benefits and minimise disadvantages