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Anaesthesia postgraduate teacher with student
Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Clinical academic postgraduate study


BSMS > Postgraduate > Clinical academic postgraduate training

Clinical academic postgraduate training

The Academic Training Programme is aimed at doctors who are considering an academic career in medicine. Our programme is jointly overseen by BSMS and Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex, in close collaboration with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.

The main academic centre is based at BSMS with the clinical base at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Academic career pathways

  1. Academic Foundation Post – The South Thames Foundation School administers these posts, with recruitment during the final year of medical school training.
  2. Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) – Post-foundation training posts with entry at ST1 or ST3 level. They are 25% academic / 75% clinical and intended to lead onto a higher degree (MD/PhD).
  3. Academic Clinical Lectureship (ACL) – Post-doctoral training posts that are 50% clinical / 50% research and are intended for career academics undertaking specialist clinical training.

These specifically designed academic posts are approved by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Recruitment is by competitive interview with three stations and the process has external supervision.