One of the benefits of a career in clinical academia is that there is no single defined training pathway to become a clinical academic. This allows for greater flexibility and control of your career. There are also many stages at which you can enter clinical academia, from opportunities that allow you to build your research experience to more senior positions aimed at those at postdoctoral level.
While this section aims to describe some common routes into clinical academia, it is by no means exhaustive. Some individuals may choose to follow a formal structured pathway while others may prefer a more ad hoc, informal route into clinical academia instead. Structured programmes such as the Integrated Academic Training Pathway (IAT) or the Integrated Clinical Academic Pathway (ICA) have helped create opportunities at a national level but there are also many opportunities available locally and regionally, through initiatives delivered in partnership between NHS organisations and higher education institutions. In addition funding and support for clinical academic training is available through several medical charities and research bodies. This diversity in training routes highlights the opportunity and choice available in developing a clinical academic career.
As well as information on training pathways, you can find advice on other aspects of a career in academia that should be considered, from common questions about the impact on pay and contracts to how to balance your clinical and academic workloads.