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Navigating your career

Navigating a clinical academic career requires planning, flexibility and informed decision-making.
Alongside clinical, research and teaching commitments, trainees must develop new skills, build supportive networks and understand the systems that shape their working lives. Making sense of these elements early can help you progress with confidence and make the most of the opportunities available to you.

This section is designed to support clinical academic trainees as they shape their career paths. It brings together guidance to help you strengthen your research profile, make effective career choices and engage with the wider healthcare, academic and policy landscape, enabling you to build a sustainable and rewarding clinical academic career.

National clinical research career pathway

For the first time, funders across the UK have mapped out where clinical researchers can access funding at different stages of their careers.
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Developing research skills

An inquisitive and curious mindset is fundamental to pursuing a clinical academic career. This should be supported by a broad range of research skills that develop over time.
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Finding a supervisor

A supervisor will usually make or break a project, so it is worth investing time in deciding who to approach.
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Preparing a research grant proposal

A compelling research grant application helps you stand out and lays the foundation for success.
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Balancing clinical and academic work

Balancing clinical and academic work can add variety to your week, helping to prevent monotony and burnout. However, it also requires careful time management across both professional roles.
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Pay, contracts and pensions

Clinical academics in the UK have a unique pay and pension structure that reflects both their clinical and academic roles.
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Clinical academic training principles and obligations

This document sets out principles and obligations of all UK institutions and clinical trainees in receipt of nationally competitive funding for clinical academic research training.
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Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK system used to assess the quality and impact of research in higher education institutions.

Working in public health

Public health clinical academics are at the forefront of shaping health policies, advancing research and addressing widespread health challenges.

Partnering with industry

Partnerships between clinical academics and industry play a vital role in translating research into real-world impact.
A person in protective clothing tends to pigs in a barn, holding a tray of medical supplies and using a blue bottle. The setting is calm and orderly.

Explore inspiring career stories from clinical academics

Learn about the career journeys of current clinical academics and the variety of roles they hold. Their stories highlight the many paths through clinical academia and the impact of this work.
Career stories