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Our Academic Specialised Foundation Programme (ASFP) focuses on research providing doctors with insight and enthusiasm for academic medicine, alongside clinical competencies.

Overview

The Oxford ASFP focuses on research rather than medical education or management which are offered on some other programmes.

In Year 1, our foundation doctors do 3 four-month clinical rotations, which may or may not be based in Oxford. During one of these rotations, they have one day a week of protected academic time. This can be used to develop research-project plans. 

In Year 2, most trainees spend 4 months in a mix of specialties providing acute and non-acute experience. All trainees have protected research time. For some this will be a dedicated four-month academic block; others will have different time allocations and distributions depending on the post.

Year 1 foundation doctors who are training within Health Education Thames Valley but not on the ASFP can apply to our stand-alone Academic Foundation Year 2. This is a competitive process that is run each year in late spring.

(For generic information about ASFP and other clinical academic posts, see Your Career - Clinical Academic Pathway.) 

What we offer

All Oxford ASFP doctors:

  • conduct research in an area of their own choice 
  • are allocated to an academic lead, who can offer support with identifying a research project
  • can apply for a grant of up to £1,000 to cover research and conference-attendance costs 
  • are part of our wider programme, designed to involve trainees fully in Oxford’s academic community and foster the development of clinical academic careers
  • have opportunities to participate in journal clubs and undertake case presentations
  • prepare and present a grand round (i.e. a medical-teaching lecture)
  • have access to a wide variety of research training courses, including our Introduction to Medical Research: Essential Skills
  • benefit from the excellent and stimulating training environment at Oxford.

Academic leads develop a personalised programme for trainees, based on the academic curriculum and the trainee’s clinical and research interests.

As there are no set projects, academic leads provide support with identifying a suitable research project. This approach has led to very successful projects which are frequently presented at national and international meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals.

In addition, all the major academic departments of the University are keen to offer mentors, and the Foundation Training Programme Director and the Foundation School Director will give advice where needed.

who is eligible

Our ASFP doctors join us with different types and levels of research experience and qualifications. Some have no experience but want a 'taster' of what an academic career would be like.

The main thing is for candidates to demonstrate academic interest and potential.

See our Apply section for more details.

More information

Check our FAQs

View profiles and projects of Oxford ASFP doctors