Government pledges ￡2.5m for academic medicine
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《英国医生杂志》
The UK government has promised an initial ￡2.5m ($4.7m; 3.6m) in 2005-6 to begin the process of establishing a new integrated academic training programme. Health minister Lord Warner made the pledge in reaction to a report by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) and the Department of Health's Modernising Medical Careers initiative.
The report aims to revitalise clinical academic medicine and to establish the United Kingdom as the best place in the world to do medical research. Declaring that warning bells have been ringing for some time, the report identifies three main deterrents to a career in academic medicine: the lack of a satisfactory career structure, insufficient flexibility in the balance of clinical and academic training, and a shortage of properly supported posts.
The number of clinical academics in the UK has been in rapid decline, from 4000 in 2001 to 3500 today. In the same period, the number of clinical lecturers has fallen 30%. The report recommends tackling this decline by introducing changes at each stage of a clinician's academic career. This would begin at medical school with attempts to persuade students of the attractions of research and teaching. "One way of achieving this goal," the report argues, "is to make sure that students are taught by leading clinical academics."
After a restructured two year foundation programme, specialist training should be revised to create an explicit academic pathway. Particular efforts should be made to develop programmes in those specialties that have had the most severe decline.
To accommodate the new generation of trained clinical academics emerging from these programmes, the report recommends a cohort of "new blood" senior lectureships. There should also be parity of pay between clinical academics and their NHS counterparts. (See p 810.)(Geoff Watts)
The report aims to revitalise clinical academic medicine and to establish the United Kingdom as the best place in the world to do medical research. Declaring that warning bells have been ringing for some time, the report identifies three main deterrents to a career in academic medicine: the lack of a satisfactory career structure, insufficient flexibility in the balance of clinical and academic training, and a shortage of properly supported posts.
The number of clinical academics in the UK has been in rapid decline, from 4000 in 2001 to 3500 today. In the same period, the number of clinical lecturers has fallen 30%. The report recommends tackling this decline by introducing changes at each stage of a clinician's academic career. This would begin at medical school with attempts to persuade students of the attractions of research and teaching. "One way of achieving this goal," the report argues, "is to make sure that students are taught by leading clinical academics."
After a restructured two year foundation programme, specialist training should be revised to create an explicit academic pathway. Particular efforts should be made to develop programmes in those specialties that have had the most severe decline.
To accommodate the new generation of trained clinical academics emerging from these programmes, the report recommends a cohort of "new blood" senior lectureships. There should also be parity of pay between clinical academics and their NHS counterparts. (See p 810.)(Geoff Watts)