A key priority for the Imperial College AHSC and the BRC is to increase the number of Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Pharmacists and Healthcare Scientists engaging in clinical academic research through enhancing and highlighting the support already available, and introducing additional opportunities and programmes. The AHSC is keen to attract and cultivate the brightest and most promising clinical academic researchers in all healthcare professions.
As part of the AHSC, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust strongly supports the Health Education England (HEE) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme. This programme provides personal research training awards for healthcare professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) who wish to develop careers that combine clinical research and research leadership with continued clinical practice and clinical development. Applicants must belong to one of the eligible professions.
Five levels of award are available, each requiring the support of clinical and academic host organisations, which together form a career pathway for aspiring and developing non-medical clinical academics. The BRC co-funds these schemes with Imperial Health Charity.
Further information on training opportunities for non-medical clinicians can be found on the Imperial AHSC website, NIHR website, or see the video below.