Who can become a clinical academic?

A clinical academic is a healthcare professional who combines clinical practice with research, education or leadership in academic settings. 

This career path is open to anyone with a clinical background, whether you have just qualified or have years of experience.

Who is eligible?

Clinical academic careers are open to professionals across healthcare, including:

• doctors
• dentists
• nurses
• midwives
• allied health professionals (AHPs) – such as physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists
• pharmacists
• veterinary surgeons
• healthcare scientists and public health professionals

You don’t need to have a PhD to start, what matters is a genuine interest in improving healthcare through research, teaching or leadership.

Whether you’re newly qualified…

If you are at the start of your career, recently graduated or in your first clinical role, you can begin exploring clinical academia through a range of opportunities:

• Interclaated degrees, internships or taster programmes that provide hands-on exposure to research and teaching.
• Academic foundation programmes or clinical fellowships that combine clinical training with protected time for research.
• Postgraduate study, such as a master’s degree or research-based qualification, to develop research skills and academic knowledge.

These experiences help you develop critical thinking, evidence-based practice and the ability to innovate in patient care, which are essential skills for a future in clinical academia.

…Or already established

If you’re an experienced clinician, educator or manager, clinical academia offers a way to:

• lead research projects that improve services and outcomes
• teach and mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals
• shape policy and practice through evidence and scholarship
• collaborate across disciplines to address complex health challenges

Many established professionals enter academia later in their careers, often supported by fellowships, secondments or part-time academic roles. Common entry routes include applying for funded research fellowships, taking on honorary or visiting lecturer positions or joining collaborative projects within your specialty.

To prepare for this transition:

• build research skills through short courses or postgraduate study in research methods or education
• network strategically by attending conferences, joining academic societies and connecting with potential supervisors via university staff directories or platforms like ResearchGate
• start small by contributing to research projects, quality improvement work, co-authoring papers or delivering teaching sessions – these experiences often lead to more formal academic roles
• seek mentorship from academics in your field to guide you through grant applications and project design