How to organise your research block

How to organise your research block as an ACF/CL

ACF posts

Your ACF post allows you to undertake a total of nine months of research over a period of 3 years (or 4 years for GP trainees). To ensure adequate clinical service provision, the timing of your academic blocks throughout the 3/4 years will be discussed with your academic and clinical supervisors. Different specialties have made slightly different arrangements but all posts offer 25% protected time (9 months) over the duration of the post. Your time allocation may be dictated by HEE due to availability of clinical posts and cross cover when you leave them. However, they make every听attempt to be as flexible as possible to fit in with your academic program.

This nine-month period will usually be taken in block periods (rather than, for example, a single day a week throughout). It can sometimes be taken as one block but ismore often split up into shorter periods. There is no single preferred way of doing this and there are pros and cons to either approach. A continuous block allows you to immerse yourself in a project which should increase the likelihood of generating meaningful results, but you will then be faced with long periods during your ACF when you are fully committed to clinical duties with no time for research. This can听make it difficult to keep up to date with the research topic or to continue processes such as sample collection. Separate blocks may allow you to devote a portion of time each year to research, but the short blocks may make it harder to become fully involved in a project within your research department.

You should confirm your initial project plans with your UCL academic specialty programme lead as听soon as possible after appointment. You should also discuss your plans with your听allocated Clinical Tutor at your Trust. HEE is very helpful in sorting out clinical slots to听accommodate academic commitments, but you must give sufficient notice for them听to get someone to cover your clinical commitments (minimum of 6 months鈥� notice),听as clinical service must take precedence over individual preference. Begin听discussions early! Clinical attachments within your ACF will be organised by HEE.听They may not specifically include a post in your area of academic interest.

CL Posts:听

Your CL post allows you to undertake a total of twenty-four months of research over a听period of 4 years. All posts offer 50% (2 years) protected time over the duration听of the post. This is usually organised in blocks of six months clinical alternating听with six months of research time but may vary by specialty. As with ACF posts, the听availability of particular clinical posts is not guaranteed but your clinical and academic听supervisors will make every effort to tailor your training to your particular needs.

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