This article provides a comprehensive guide to applying for an academic clinical fellowship. Continue reading to master the art of effectively showcasing your educational achievements.
The academic clinical fellowship provides essential training in your chosen field of specialisation that may even lead to postdoctoral studies. It is a mentored professional experience to integrate theoretical knowledge from training. The National Institute of Health Care Research allocated 278 ACFs funding for 2025 clinical fellowship recruitment.
The fellowship application is the rite of passage to an academic world where the field experts acknowledge your research efforts. By completing this arduous application process, you will appear as a winner ready to navigate to a broader sphere.
Now, let us start by understanding what this fellowship actually is.
What Are Academic Clinical Fellowships?
The academic clinical fellowship is the national initiative to grant training to professionals with outstanding development potential. These programs may range from two to three years, depending on your chosen field of study. The applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the clinical training via the usual assessment method.
This program will provide you with essential academic skills, such as attending research training courses, being guided by supervisors, and being supported in gaining a place in the educational program.
8 Step-By-Step Guide to Apply for Academic Clinical Fellowship
The academic clinical fellowship seats are allocated annually. In general, they are managed by the IAT partnerships while adhering to recruitment guidelines. The application process can often feel challenging for many researchers, as most of them do not know the right path. To ease this burden, acquiring guidance from professional dissertation helpers can simplify their journey. The following write-up provides a step-by-step guide to streamline your application process.
Be sure to read it carefully before you start writing your application for this position. Let’s discuss each step-in detail.
1. Know the Eligibility Criteria
There are certain rules regarding applying for a scholarship. If you intend to apply for this fellowship, you must meet the criteria before the closing date. However, if someone fails to meet before the timeline, then an alternative date is specified in the advertisement.
What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Applying for an Academic Clinical Fellowship?
- The applicant must be eligible to apply for full registration while holding a current license to practice.
- You must provide evidence of foundation competencies via methods like a UKFPO-affiliated foundation programme or awarded an FPCC from a program affiliated with the UK.
- You should currently be in the GMC-approved training program.
- The applicant must be eligible to work in the UK.
- Fulfil the criteria for UK medical performers’ lists.
- You must hold an updated and valid driver’s license.
2. Provide Evidence of Foundation Competence
The academic clinical fellowship London applicants are required to provide evidence to meet the UK Foundation program competencies. You can demonstrate such competencies in one of the following ways.
- Those who are currently undertaking any UK foundation program are not required to provide additional evidence. They may simply provide a Foundation Programme Certificate of Competence (FPCC) before commencement.
- Those who completed the foundation program no earlier than 1st January should upload their FPCC to the application form.
- Applicants who are currently undertaking a core training program will be considered to have access to their foundation competencies upon entry to core training, so they are not required to provide additional evidence.
- All the applicants are required to provide a certificate of readiness to enter specialty training.
3. Provide Evidence of Core Competency
Academic clinical fellowship applicants should provide evidence that they have attained the core competencies as required. They can demonstrate this in one of the following ways.
- Applicants who are currently undertaking any core training program that is UK-affiliated are not required to provide any additional proof.
- Those who have previously completed an affiliated core training program should provide ARCP outcome 6 at the time of submission.
- Those who are not currently undertaking or previously have not completed any UK-affiliated core training are required to provide an equivalence certificate.
- It is also important to provide the applicant specifications to determine if you are submitting the correct eligibility evidence.
4. Fill In Online Application Form
To complete and submit the online academic clinical fellowship Cambridge application form, follow the general guidelines below.
- The application form needs to be completed and submitted through Oriel’s home page.
- Access the website online and register here to apply.
- The core details and information can be changed or revisited at any time before the final date of submission.
- The complete information about how to register is available on the website.
- You can refer to the shortlisting core framework when completing your application form.
- Each section of the application form has a specific word count for writing the text. Therefore, you must use the most relevant information to fit in the given word count.
- The applicants are limited to submitting up to three applications to ACF vacancies. Those who submit more than three applications are required to withdraw additional applications.
- Once you apply, no alteration is possible.
5. Fitness to Practice
If you make a declaration on your academic clinical fellowship application form, you must complete an additional form regarding this. Provide the supporting information earlier by email. However, if you fail to provide the required data before the deadline, the application will be rejected. Here is the general guideline in this regard,
- You may email the lead recruiter of the specialty for details about the nature of the declaration.
- Include all the convictions regardless of whether it is regarded as “spent”.
- The information will be accessed at the interview via references and cross-checked for validation.
- There should be a full page dedicated to nine fitness issues.
6. Invitation to Interview
All applicants who meet the criteria will receive an email notification regarding their academic clinical fellowship interview. This email will provide instructions on how to schedule your interview through Oriel and where interview slots will be available.
The invitation email will also clearly state a deadline for booking an interview. Furthermore, applicants will receive a link to additional information that must be submitted when invited for the interview. Candidates are encouraged to consult with seniors about the interview questions to enhance their preparation and improve their chances of securing a position.
Pro Tip:
You should book your interview slot as early as possible so that there is enough room to take advantage of the time flexibility.
7. Provide References
It is one of the most crucial steps of the academic clinical fellowship recruitment process. Therefore, provide the details, such as an up-to-date email and contact details of at least three referees who have supervised you throughout your training. If you are applying for more than one specialty, the reference name should be different accordingly.
However, if you have taken a career break recently and can’t provide details of three referees, then at least two should be your most recent supervisors. Don’t forget to contact your supervisor and ask for the contact details before you provide them with the application form. The same email will be used to contact the referee, so it must be in use currently.
Pro Tip:
Visit your supervisor early to ensure that they are happy to refer you to good books and fill in the necessary details as asked.
8. Clinical Benchmarking
The applicants who have passed the ACF academic clinical fellowship interview and do not own the NTN certification need to be clinically benchmarked. Those who do not reach the level of appointment at benchmarking need to withdraw the AFC later. You are only allowed to make on-time attempts for clearance. You can refer to the specialty training website to ensure that you submit the clinical benchmarking application on time.
What Is the Basic Salary of a Clinical Fellow?
The basic salary for clinical fellows varies according to the professional’s expertise. According to ZipRecruiter, a clinical fellow in the US earns $65,407 per annum. In general, the academic clinical fellowship salary parameter is $31.45 an hour, and those working on fixed salaries may earn more or less than this.
Conclusion
The academic clinical fellowship is one of the most prestigious fellowship programs that aims to train doctors for better performance. Depending on the field of specialty chosen, they offer clinical training to enhance their professionalism. Every year, when researchers see the advertisement for this fellowship program, they wish to apply for the position as soon as possible. However, the application process is tricky, so they consult top-rated dissertation writing companies for valuable assistance.
In the article above, we have elaborated on the detailed process that can make the academic clinical fellowship 2025 application submission easier for you. You should start by knowing the eligibility criteria. Provide evidence of competencies for foundation and core training. Fill in the application form and schedule your interview if you receive the invitation email. The more you adhere to the given criteria, the better your chances of excelling in the competition.
