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Clinical academic careers
Contents
The Clinical Academic Careers Framework proposes an over-arching structure to develop the clinical academic workforce for patient benefit and a consolidated programme for non medical health professions. This forms part of our organisation's Research and Innovation Strategy.
To help the workforce develop clinical academic careers, there are two overarching programmes.
- The NIHR Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme is one of NIHR’s flagship programmes and is open to doctors and dentists.
- The HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme for non-medical professions which brings together the two sections of the previous CAT Programme for nurses, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and midwives and healthcare scientists into one programme.
HEE is committed to ensuring that every health professional has the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in research. Working in close partnership with NIHR we will ensure that we develop the next generation of academic healthcare leaders working and leading clinical research across the NHS and our universities.
The ICA programme provides the opportunity for non-medical healthcare professions to forge key links between research and practice and make a real difference to patient care.”
Professor Bill Irish, chair of HEE’s Clinical Academic Careers Stakeholder Group.
If you are thinking of a clinical academic career, further information can be found below:
HEE has a statutory responsibility to promote research (Health & Social Care Act 2012, HEE Directions 2013) and the Mandate from the Government to HEE (April 2017 to March 2018) requires HEE to “develop a workforce that embraces research and innovation” and “to support clinical academic careers for health professionals
HEE’s Research and Innovation Strategy, sets out our vision and framework for the delivery of our statutory responsibilities and mandate duties. One of the key objectives of the strategy is to undertake the development of a transparent and integrated multi-professional clinical academic career framework, which enables all partners to be clear about the strategic approach to developing the clinical academic workforce for patient benefit.
The Clinical Academic Careers Framework proposes an over-arching structure to develop the clinical academic workforce for patient benefit; and a consolidated programme for non-medical healthcare professions. This builds on the existing academic training programmes and aims to streamline the schemes within it. A copy of the framework is available to download from his page.
Why research is everyone's business
The HEE/NIHR’s Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme was the topic of a Health Services Journal (HSJ) Supplement published in November 2015.
The supplement: Everyone join in – why research should be everybody’s business, highlights the importance of research in improving patient outcomes with a specific focus on the HEE/NIHR ICA Programme; which is encouraging more nurses, midwives and Allied Health Professionals to engage with clinical academic research. Download the supplement from this page.
ICA guide
For details on the various schemes within the programme, when to apply and how an award works, please download our guides to the ICA programme.
Publications and webinars
There are also ideas and advice from other clinical academic researchers and a useful resource for provider organisations and their clinical staff from AUKUH which can be downloaded from this page. In addition, NIHR have published the Building a Research Career handbook.
The Health Foundation’s new communications toolkit for research helps researchers to increase the influence and impact of their findings in health and health care. It includes guidance, templates, support materials and links to help develop a communication strategy, package findings for different audiences and engage stakeholders to extend influence and widen impact.
Further support is available from a series of webinars run by NIHR with advice on topics such as applications for funding, using social media, how to engage the public and writing for publication.
Writing for publication webinar
NIHR Knowledge Mobilisation Research Fellowship webinar
NIHR Fellowships - introductory webinar
Beyond a paper; How to get your research (and you) out there!
Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) - The opportunities and challenges
Completing your Researchfish submission for the NIHR
Involving patients and the public in your research
NIHR Fellowship Programme Webinar - Round 9
HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme Webinar
Starting a Clinical Academic Career – internships & PCAF
The Researcher
We are working with partners across the healthcare system to promote research and clinical academic careers. As such, we are working with NHS Research and Development North West on a national digital magazine, curated by researchers themselves, designed to encourage, support and engage with healthcare professionals to be involved with research.
The first edition had the theme of Breaking boundaries. Issue 2, Keeping balanced was published in October 2016 and Issue 3 Maintaining momentum.
Posters and promotion
You may find these posters and leaflets useful for promotion of the ICA Programme within your organisation or at events.
We have a number of case studies available for download to read.
Take a look at our video case studies featuring current ICA trainees who share their personal stories about what their award has meant for them.
Sarah Bailey is currently in the fourth and final year of an HEE NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship. She writes about her experiences in this blog.
Following the success of the 2016 Developing Your Clinical Academic Career event we held a second event for ICA programme trainees in February 2017. Once again the event provided a great opportunity to meet some of our trainees and for them to network with each other. Useful resources from the day (including presentations from speakers, handouts and trainees’ posters) are available to download. We hope that these will help you on your research journey.
Watch a short video explaining what NIHR does.
The Clinical Academic Careers Stakeholder Group (CACSG) was established to set the strategic direction for delivery of the Mandate objective to “develop a workforce that embraces research and innovation” and “to support clinical academic careers for health professionals.”
The scope of the work of the CACSG includes oversight of delivery of the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme and reviewing the progress of the NIHR Integrated Academic Training (IAT) programme.
The membership of the Stakeholder Group is:
HEE: Bill Irish (chair), Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Fleur Kitsell and Tim Swanwick
Department of Health: Tony Soteriou
NIHR: Dave Jones, Lisa Cotterill
Council of Deans: Patrick Callaghan
Chief Professional Officers: Sue Hill, Suzanne Rastrick, Sara Hurley, Keith Ridge (or their deputies)
Public Health England: Bernie Hannigan
Director of the Council for Allied Health Professions Research: Ann Moore
ICA Programme Panel Chair – Tina Lavender
The CACSG also helped develop HEE's Research and Innovation Strategy and the Clinical Academic Careers Framework, and advise on eligibility criteria for the ICA Programme.