Frequently asked questions and useful resources
ACFs and ACL FAQs
For ACFs, how your research time is organised is likely to depend on your stage of training and your specialty. You should discuss this with your research supervisor and the Integrated Academic Training lead. In some cases, ACFs may wish to take their academic time as part of their usual clinical week (for example, taking a day a week or similar). In others, organising a ‘block’ of academic time will be more appropriate (for example, whilst working on a lab project). For ACLs, the structure of research blocks can be variable but many are organised in 6-month or one-year blocks.
Contract arrangements are different for ACFs and ACLs. ACFs remain employed by the NHS with an honorary University contract, whereas ACLs are usually employed by the University with an honorary NHS Trust contract. For any queries, please contact Georgina Hack (G.L.Hack@exeter.ac.uk), Integrated Academic Training Programme Administrator, in the first instance.
Please discuss any Out of Programme requests with the IAT training lead (Dr Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, T.Newlove-Delgado@exeter.ac.uk).
ACF FAQs
(Masters in Health Research Methods)
Not necessarily. If you are part time it is acceptable to spread the modules over 2 years. If as an ACF you want to split the core modules in two years, we recommend the following:
In the first year:
- Fundamentals of Research Design HPDM092
- Systematic Reviews for Policy and Practice HPDM093
In the second year:
- Statistics as Applied to Health HPDM054
- An optional module
As long as it is research training that is being provided (not leadership, management, education etc), it is relevant to your ACF post and it is no more than 60 credits (4x15 credit modules), the Faculty will pay for these. You need to discuss this with your supervisor and to think about your research methods training needs.
If you decide that you have already covered the research methods training included in some or all of the mandatory modules, you should contact Tamsin Newlove-Delgado as the Integrated Academic Training Lead, providing details of previous research methods training you have completed and listing the alternate modules that you and your academic supervisor consider will better meet your training needs.
No. The Medical School will consider funding alternative modules to those offered as standard if the trainee can make the case that the content of the proposed modules from the Masters in Health Research methods has already been covered by previous training. However, alternative modules need to be on the topic of research methods and need to be available from Masters programmes already on offer within the medical school.
When you wish to claim from your annual bursary, please contact administrator Georgina Hack (G.L.Hack@exeter.ac.uk) who will send you a study leave form to complete. Following this, approval will be sort from the appropriate signatory. Once approved, you may then claim against the bursary.
ACL FAQs
When you wish to claim from your annual bursary, please contact administrator Georgina Hack (G.L.Hack@exeter.ac.uk) who will send you a study leave form to complete. Following this, approval will be sort from the appropriate signatory. Once approved, you may then claim against the bursary.
On call requirement varies and needs to be negotiated by the trainee on a case by case basis. Some trainees prefer to keep full rate of on call to protect their pay; some prefer to reduce pro-rata. There may also be a minimum on call commitment for clinical training. We suggest the best way forward is for trainees to discuss their preference with their NHS educational supervisor (to get approval) and then to contact NHS HR to get that written onto their NHS contract.
There are agreements in place which ensure that your rights are protected and you should not be disadvantaged by undertaking your ACL. For specific queries, please contact the IAT administrator in the first instance.
