Thanks for this Efia! I hope to start a psychiatry ACF in August 2022. I know you've just started, but do you know how an ACF goes about choosing and focusing on a particular research interest? For example, does it have to be in a particular research area that the department focuses on, or is there scope for the fellow to shape their own research idea and direction?
Thanks for your comment! Both of the points you mentioned could apply here. There is scope to shape your own research idea and direction with the support of your supervisor, however, you may find that the particular areas that the department focuses on has more opportunities available. You could look through the research areas of the department(s) you're interested in applying to and contact one of the staff members with similar interests to be your supervisor for your research idea - that way you get the best of both worlds! The only time you may be 'restricted' is if you apply to one of the NIHR priority research themed posts (www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/2020-nihr-iat-priority-research-themes/24186), but you only tend to apply to those if you're interested in that area anyways! In that case, if you decide to change topics completely when you've already accepted the post, it would likely not be possible. All the best with your application when the time comes! :)
Thanks Efi... Could you answer the question if there is a chance to be CCT in the speciality while taking up acf.Acf is for 3 years right,while surgical teaining is for about 6 years.
The ACF usually lasts for 3 years (4 years for GP training), so considering most speciality training is more than 3 years like surgery which you have mentioned, the only speciality I know of which you will CCT in whilst taking up an ACF is GP, and with that, you will usually CCT at the same time you complete GP training. I hope that makes sense!
Hello, this was a super useful video! I’m currently in year 12 doing my A-Levels and I want to apply to Medicine, but I’m also really drawn to the research side which is why I have been doing some research on the ACF and related programmes. Say I wanted to specialise in neurosurgery after doing my foundation training, would this ACF be instead of doing neurosurgery training or would you do it after? As I’m not 100% sure on how it all works. Thanks!
Hi, I'm glad you found it useful! You could first do an AFP in neurosurgery after medical school which would give you 4 months as part of your 2yr foundation training post to get involved with research in that field. You could then apply for a neurosurgery ACF which would usually form part of your neurosurgery specialty training (usually 75% clinical and 25% academic)! I hope that makes sense! All the best and here are some useful links below to a few neurosurgery ACF advert posts which explain it in more detail:- www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/Liverpool%20ACF%20Neurosurgery%20Programme%20Details.pdf www.yorksandhumberdeanery.nhs.uk/recruitment/acf-neurosurgery-leeds
Thanks Efi for the informative video. I have a few questions: When do we apply for ACF? would it be after the foundation program years and instead of applying for CMT/CST we should apply for ACF? I already have a PhD in the field I am interested in, could that help my portfolio? And lastly, can ACF be in any speciality that we'd like (I like doing research and work clinically in neurology, is that possible?) Thanks in advance and sorry for bombarding you with questions. there isn't much info on ACF on the Internet compared with other trainings in the UK.
Hi Tara, I'm glad you found it informative. You usually apply for ACF posts in Oct/Nov, with interviews between Nov and Jan, and offers made in Jan. However, if posts are not filled they usually re-advertise it in Feb and start the process again then - these aren't guaranteed so I would advise applying the first time round in Oct! I believe having a PhD would be useful in the field you're in as it shows commitment to your area of interest and your potential to be a clinical academic. On that note, yes an ACF can be in any specialty you like as long as there are places advertising those posts (which there usually are!) You can usually find details about these available posts on oriel (which is the current application platform), as well as the deanery/affiliated university websites. Here's a link to more useful information about this - www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-academic-clinical-fellowships-medical-guidance-for-recruitment-and-appointment-2022/28793 All the best and let me know if you have any further questions! :)
Hello , does this mean only doctors currenlty working in the NHS can apply for ACF ?? So If I was an international graduate I will have to get an nhs post before applying to ACF ?
Hi, apologies for the late response! I believe it would be more straightforward to apply if you are working in the NHS as you would need to show you reach the clinical competencies required to apply which makes up part of the clinical benchmarking process which you still need to pass to take up an ACF if offered. It would probably be best to look at the person specification for the posts you are applying for as well as contacting Oriel (the application portal system) who may be able to clarify.
That was helpful, thank you a lot. Although I'm a dentist😂 who is really, really interested in ACF with a huge interest in research as well, there aren't many videos about dental ACF, which is a letdown. 😓 I've applied a couple of times with no success yet, but hopefully this time I get that happy news. How to contact you in person, please? I'm in need of guidance and advice.
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful and sorry there aren't any dental ACF videos available. All the best with your application this time round! You can find my email address in the 'About' section of my TH-cam channel page :)
thank you very much for your video. May I know when you apply for ACF at St1 level for example in internal medicine IMT. will you go for 1 interview of the ACF and that's it or you would also need to attend the IMT interview? or just need a shortlisting for the IMT at the same time ... is that what is meant by clinical benchmarking? could you clarify that for me because I am interested to apply this year and many thanks in advance.
You would need to meet the minimum criteria for being appointed to an IMT post after applying for and attending the IMT interview, which is what they mean by clinical benchmarking. Hence, the ACF application and interview is separate to the IMT one, but as long as you're appointable you'll be able to take up an ACF if offered one. I hope that makes sense!
Hi! Thank you for your video I wanted to clarify some basic info - 1. If I want to apply for CST (clinical only )and ACF (academic and clinical), will they be separate applications? If they are not separate applications, do I only apply for ACF and I will automatically be considered for CST ? 2. What is the difference between an ACF post, and working as an education fellow? Is an education fellow post helpful in ACF portfolio? 3. At what point in the application do we clarify the area of interest e.g surgery, medicine etc? Is it asked for in the application or during the interviews? 4. Do we select ACF allocated posts from the list available or are we assigned according to scoring or preference? Would appreciate your guidance 😊
Hi, apologies for the late response and I hope you have already found answers to your questions. Just in case you haven't, please find some answers below:- 1. You need to make separate applications - one for each ACF post you apply for and another one for CST to allow for clinical benchmarking that will allow you to take up an ACF post if offered. This year, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 ACF posts. 2. An ACF post is a specific academic training pathway in which you can have an education focus if you choose/if it is offered. An education fellow post tends to be a standalone post that usually doesn't count towards your training years like the ACF does, but can be beneficial as it can provide opportunities for teaching, publications etc that can strengthen an ACF application. 3. You usually clarify your area of interest at application, so for example, you would apply specifically for an ACF in GP or in Orthopaedics, and in some cases you can apply for a themed post in say 'multiple long term conditions' which could be either part of a geriatrics, GP or renal job for which you will usually be asked to rank at the time of application. I hope that makes sense but there's more guidance in the NIHR ACF information online (see link below). 4. You usually select the ACF post you choose at application, and these posts are usually listed on Oriel by speciality, theme and location. Then based on your scoring you are offered an interview and then an offer of the ACF post after interview if applicable. I hope that's a bit helpful. You can find more information about specific ACF posts on Oriel and on ACF applications here - www.nihr.ac.uk/2025-academic-clinical-fellowships-medical-guidance-recruitment-and-appointment
Hi Efia, Great vid, thank you. I'm an F1, didn't get the AFP but still very keen on research/ACF programme in medicine. Do you have any advice or plan to make a video specifically about how you prepared your application? Thanks!
Hi, thanks for the comment! You can definitely still apply for and get into an ACF even if you haven't done an AFP! I'll make a video about this soon but in the meantime, feel free to email me on doctorefia@gmail.com if you have any specific questions :)
Hello! I am a doctor in the UK and I am interested in applying for the ACF. I was hoping to get some further advice and questions answered. What would be the best way to get in touch? Thanks, Elena
I'm considering an ACF in IMT - bit of a silly question but when I log on to oriel how do I see the jobs that I am applying for? I can only see the research theme rather than individual hospitals/ rotations etc! thank you sooo much
Hi, I'm afraid there's a new oriel system which I don't have access too, and the jobs are not coming up on the old system I've logged into! Last year, they listed the jobs by research themes, specialties and deaneries/locations (e.g. north west, west midlands, yorkshire and humber etc) if that helps! I hope you've been able to figure it out!
New video up sharing my ACF interview experience and some tips!
th-cam.com/video/1_NNdNmat-I/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for this Efia! I hope to start a psychiatry ACF in August 2022. I know you've just started, but do you know how an ACF goes about choosing and focusing on a particular research interest? For example, does it have to be in a particular research area that the department focuses on, or is there scope for the fellow to shape their own research idea and direction?
Thanks for your comment! Both of the points you mentioned could apply here. There is scope to shape your own research idea and direction with the support of your supervisor, however, you may find that the particular areas that the department focuses on has more opportunities available.
You could look through the research areas of the department(s) you're interested in applying to and contact one of the staff members with similar interests to be your supervisor for your research idea - that way you get the best of both worlds! The only time you may be 'restricted' is if you apply to one of the NIHR priority research themed posts (www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/2020-nihr-iat-priority-research-themes/24186), but you only tend to apply to those if you're interested in that area anyways! In that case, if you decide to change topics completely when you've already accepted the post, it would likely not be possible. All the best with your application when the time comes! :)
Thanks Efi...
Could you answer the question if there is a chance to be CCT in the speciality while taking up acf.Acf is for 3 years right,while surgical teaining is for about 6 years.
The ACF usually lasts for 3 years (4 years for GP training), so considering most speciality training is more than 3 years like surgery which you have mentioned, the only speciality I know of which you will CCT in whilst taking up an ACF is GP, and with that, you will usually CCT at the same time you complete GP training. I hope that makes sense!
Hello, this was a super useful video! I’m currently in year 12 doing my A-Levels and I want to apply to Medicine, but I’m also really drawn to the research side which is why I have been doing some research on the ACF and related programmes. Say I wanted to specialise in neurosurgery after doing my foundation training, would this ACF be instead of doing neurosurgery training or would you do it after? As I’m not 100% sure on how it all works. Thanks!
Hi, I'm glad you found it useful! You could first do an AFP in neurosurgery after medical school which would give you 4 months as part of your 2yr foundation training post to get involved with research in that field. You could then apply for a neurosurgery ACF which would usually form part of your neurosurgery specialty training (usually 75% clinical and 25% academic)! I hope that makes sense! All the best and here are some useful links below to a few neurosurgery ACF advert posts which explain it in more detail:-
www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/Liverpool%20ACF%20Neurosurgery%20Programme%20Details.pdf
www.yorksandhumberdeanery.nhs.uk/recruitment/acf-neurosurgery-leeds
@@doctorefi Thank you so much for your reply, that’s super helpful and I’ll definitely give that article a read. Thanks again!
Thanks Efi for the informative video.
I have a few questions: When do we apply for ACF? would it be after the foundation program years and instead of applying for CMT/CST we should apply for ACF?
I already have a PhD in the field I am interested in, could that help my portfolio? And lastly, can ACF be in any speciality that we'd like (I like doing research and work clinically in neurology, is that possible?) Thanks in advance and sorry for bombarding you with questions. there isn't much info on ACF on the Internet compared with other trainings in the UK.
Hi Tara, I'm glad you found it informative. You usually apply for ACF posts in Oct/Nov, with interviews between Nov and Jan, and offers made in Jan. However, if posts are not filled they usually re-advertise it in Feb and start the process again then - these aren't guaranteed so I would advise applying the first time round in Oct! I believe having a PhD would be useful in the field you're in as it shows commitment to your area of interest and your potential to be a clinical academic. On that note, yes an ACF can be in any specialty you like as long as there are places advertising those posts (which there usually are!)
You can usually find details about these available posts on oriel (which is the current application platform), as well as the deanery/affiliated university websites. Here's a link to more useful information about this - www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-academic-clinical-fellowships-medical-guidance-for-recruitment-and-appointment-2022/28793
All the best and let me know if you have any further questions! :)
Hello , does this mean only doctors currenlty working in the NHS can apply for ACF ??
So If I was an international graduate I will have to get an nhs post before applying to ACF ?
Hi, apologies for the late response! I believe it would be more straightforward to apply if you are working in the NHS as you would need to show you reach the clinical competencies required to apply which makes up part of the clinical benchmarking process which you still need to pass to take up an ACF if offered. It would probably be best to look at the person specification for the posts you are applying for as well as contacting Oriel (the application portal system) who may be able to clarify.
@ thanks 🙏
That was helpful, thank you a lot. Although I'm a dentist😂 who is really, really interested in ACF with a huge interest in research as well, there aren't many videos about dental ACF, which is a letdown. 😓
I've applied a couple of times with no success yet, but hopefully this time I get that happy news.
How to contact you in person, please? I'm in need of guidance and advice.
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful and sorry there aren't any dental ACF videos available. All the best with your application this time round! You can find my email address in the 'About' section of my TH-cam channel page :)
thank you very much for your video. May I know when you apply for ACF at St1 level for example in internal medicine IMT. will you go for 1 interview of the ACF and that's it or you would also need to attend the IMT interview? or just need a shortlisting for the IMT at the same time ... is that what is meant by clinical benchmarking? could you clarify that for me because I am interested to apply this year and many thanks in advance.
You would need to meet the minimum criteria for being appointed to an IMT post after applying for and attending the IMT interview, which is what they mean by clinical benchmarking. Hence, the ACF application and interview is separate to the IMT one, but as long as you're appointable you'll be able to take up an ACF if offered one. I hope that makes sense!
Hi! Thank you for your video
I wanted to clarify some basic info -
1. If I want to apply for CST (clinical only )and ACF (academic and clinical), will they be separate applications?
If they are not separate applications, do I only apply for ACF and I will automatically be considered for CST ?
2. What is the difference between an ACF post, and working as an education fellow? Is an education fellow post helpful in ACF portfolio?
3. At what point in the application do we clarify the area of interest e.g surgery, medicine etc? Is it asked for in the application or during the interviews?
4. Do we select ACF allocated posts from the list available or are we assigned according to scoring or preference?
Would appreciate your guidance 😊
Hi, apologies for the late response and I hope you have already found answers to your questions. Just in case you haven't, please find some answers below:-
1. You need to make separate applications - one for each ACF post you apply for and another one for CST to allow for clinical benchmarking that will allow you to take up an ACF post if offered. This year, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 ACF posts.
2. An ACF post is a specific academic training pathway in which you can have an education focus if you choose/if it is offered. An education fellow post tends to be a standalone post that usually doesn't count towards your training years like the ACF does, but can be beneficial as it can provide opportunities for teaching, publications etc that can strengthen an ACF application.
3. You usually clarify your area of interest at application, so for example, you would apply specifically for an ACF in GP or in Orthopaedics, and in some cases you can apply for a themed post in say 'multiple long term conditions' which could be either part of a geriatrics, GP or renal job for which you will usually be asked to rank at the time of application. I hope that makes sense but there's more guidance in the NIHR ACF information online (see link below).
4. You usually select the ACF post you choose at application, and these posts are usually listed on Oriel by speciality, theme and location. Then based on your scoring you are offered an interview and then an offer of the ACF post after interview if applicable.
I hope that's a bit helpful. You can find more information about specific ACF posts on Oriel and on ACF applications here - www.nihr.ac.uk/2025-academic-clinical-fellowships-medical-guidance-recruitment-and-appointment
Hi Efia,
Great vid, thank you. I'm an F1, didn't get the AFP but still very keen on research/ACF programme in medicine. Do you have any advice or plan to make a video specifically about how you prepared your application? Thanks!
Hi, thanks for the comment! You can definitely still apply for and get into an ACF even if you haven't done an AFP! I'll make a video about this soon but in the meantime, feel free to email me on doctorefia@gmail.com if you have any specific questions :)
Hello! I am a doctor in the UK and I am interested in applying for the ACF. I was hoping to get some further advice and questions answered. What would be the best way to get in touch? Thanks, Elena
Hi, feel free to email me at doctorefia@gmail.com :)
I'm considering an ACF in IMT - bit of a silly question but when I log on to oriel how do I see the jobs that I am applying for? I can only see the research theme rather than individual hospitals/ rotations etc! thank you sooo much
Hi, I'm afraid there's a new oriel system which I don't have access too, and the jobs are not coming up on the old system I've logged into! Last year, they listed the jobs by research themes, specialties and deaneries/locations (e.g. north west, west midlands, yorkshire and humber etc) if that helps! I hope you've been able to figure it out!
Your teeth are spectacular fam
Haha, thank you!