Supervisors

Clinical academic trainees will have the following supervisors which adhere to the ‘Guide to Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK’ (The Gold Guide):

• Academic
• Research
• Clinical
• Educational

The Director of the Academic Training programme is responsible for ensuring that academic and research supervisors are appointed and approved for each trainee.

The Deanery is responsible for ensuring that the trainees have both clinical and educational supervisors.

Academic supervisor (primary supervisor for ACLs holding a PhD; secondary supervisor for ACFs and ACLs without a PhD)

• Appointed by the University for the duration of the trainee’s academic post to ensure that maximum benefit is gained in terms of academic development whilst holding an academic post.
• Where an academic supervisor is trained as an educational supervisor they may subject to the approval of the Deanery and the Clinical Academic Training Committee undertake dual roles.
• Should be an established clinical academic at the University of Leicester (in some instances this may be an NHS consultant who holds a senior honorary title within the College of Life Sciences.)
• Responsible for ensuring you understand the requirements of the integrated academic training pathway and academic aspects of the programme and keep a signed record of the induction and agreement
• Meet the trainees within one month of commencement of the academic post to draw up an academic training programme with a realistic timetable for delivery which should be summarised within the PDP document The training goals should include both generic academic skills (generic and applied research skills; research governance; communication/education) and specific academic goals.
• Responsible for liaising with the research supervisor on a regular basis to review progress and for meeting with the trainee at least bi-monthly.
• Must review trainee’s progress jointly with the trainee and educational supervisor on a six monthly basis. Progress should be formally reviewed and documented at six and twelve month intervals (with competencies and milestones) for presentation to the Director of Clinical Academic Training and the academic assessment panel. Asked to attend the trainees annual academic review where undertaking the role of primary supervisor; if not able to attend liaise with the secondary supervisor to attend.
• Submit the supervisor's report (if the primary supervisor) to the academic review panel two week's prior to the meeting.

Research supervisor (primary supervisor for ACFs and ACLs without a PhD; secondary supervisor for ACLs with PhD)

• Responsible for supervising the trainee’s research on a day to day basis.
• May be clinical or non-clinical.
• Must liaise with the academic supervisor and will not be the same person.
• Responsible for identifying any specific competencies required for the research programme and advising the academic supervisor.
• Asked to attend the trainees annual academic review where undertaking the role of primary supervisor; if not able to attend liaise with the secondary supervisor to attend.
• Submit the supervisor's report (if the primary supervisor) to the academic review panel two week's prior to the meeting.

Clinical supervisor

The Gold Guide (4.23) defines a clinical supervisor as:

• A named clinical supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for overseeing a specified trainee's clinical work and providing constructive feedback during a training placement.
• The clinical supervisor may also act as the educational supervisor however the roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined.

Educational supervisor

• Responsible for overseeing training (both educational appraisal and review of performance based on Good Medical Practice), developing a learning agreement and educational objectives (including study leave), ensuring that clinical and educational achievement is documented and that every reasonable effort is made to ensure satisfactory educational progression.
• Confirm appropriate inductions and meet with the trainee at the beginning, middle and end of a placement
• Must understand the integrated academic training pathway and have undertaken the educational supervisor’s training course.
• A clinician with an interest in academic medicine (but independent of the trainee’s research project). They should ideally hold a higher degree and be a substantive clinical academic member of University, or a local NHS clinician who holds an honorary academic title and has an ongoing interest in research.
• Must undertake joint appraisal of the trainee with the academic supervisor on a six monthly basis to enable the academic supervisor to submit written reports to the Director of the Clinical Academic Training Programme, and provide appropriate feedback.
• Responsible for contacting the Director of the Clinical Academic Training programme with concerns regarding training and progression.
• Produce a structured report at the end of the year to inform Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP). Invited to take part in the ARCP.
• Responsible for ensuring the academic supervisor, Director of Clinical Academic Training and the academic panel are advised of the outcome of the ARCP.