Research training is an essential component in the creation of a high quality specialist workforce for Intensive Care Medicine (ICM). It has been proven that research active departments have better outcomes.
Research is fully embedded into the 2021 ICM curriculum into both the higher learning outcome and the academic Special Skills Year for doctors in training undertaking single CCT ICM.
The NIHR Associate Principal Investigator (API) scheme provides a development opportunity for all doctors in training to get involved in research to raise awareness, share the knowledge, and obtain training required for running research studies.
There are a number of options as to how to undertake academic training in ICM. Doctors in training with an interest in academia should be identified early and provided with a support network through the regions to enable them to follow a clinical academic career pathway. The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) enables access to high-quality careers advice and support for ICM doctors in training wishing to pursue careers in clinical academic medicine. It is essential to embrace a plurality of research training arrangements, providing the quality of such training is good.
The Scottish Clinical Research Excellence Development Scheme (SCREDS) provides an integrated training and career development pathway enabling clinicians to pursue concurrently or sequentially academic and clinical training within the NHS.
Pathways for formal research training should map closely to clinical training, allowing seamless integration of the two streams of training. This arrangement will not only allow easier entry to research training, but also allow trainees to re-enter the conventional clinical training structure. It is key that consideration is given to allowing this clinical time undertaken during time out in research to count towards training.
Doctors in training returning to clinical medicine from a period of time out in academia require a supported return to training and are encouraged to access the wide range of learning and support resources, which can be used to create a bespoke package of support which suits their individual needs.
