Abstract
BackgroundConcerns are being expressed around the lack of diversity at higher levels of clinical academia. This study aimed to explore experiences and challenges associated with combining clinical academic careers with family life.MethodsQualitative data were gathered from participants from 4 NHS Trusts and 2 universities in the East Midlands of England using online surveys and semi-structured interviews.ResultsThe survey was completed by 67 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, and 73 medical clinical academic trainees. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants from each group including equal numbers of men and women. Caring responsibilities differed between the two study populations. Medical clinical academic trainees were younger and either had young children or were yet to start a family. In contrast, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals tended to be older when they embarked on a clinical academic career and often waited until their children were school-age or older. Similar concerns were raised regarding working part-time and childcare, and how their career prospects might be affected in terms of fulfilling promotion criteria and being able to relocate for work purposes. The occupation of their partners also featured in participants’ experiences; those who shared childcare with someone who worked ‘regular’ hours, appeared to be better supported to combine a clinical academic career with family life.Gender stereotyping was identified in some reported experiences highlighting a need for appropriate mentorship and for positive role models who were able to demonstrate that it is possible to survive and thrive as a clinical academic with family responsibilities.ConclusionsAlthough people manage to find ways to successfully combine clinical academic roles with family life, findings highlight a need to identify ways of supporting and encouraging trainees with caring responsibilities to ensure that they remain on the clinical academic pathway.
Highlights
Concerns are being expressed around the lack of diversity at higher levels of clinical academia
There are differences in the clinical academic training offered to doctors and dentists and the academic training provision for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals ( NMAHPs)
Predoctoral Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) have 25% of their time dedicated to academic training, and Clinical Lecturers (CLs) split their time 50/50 between clinical and academic commitments [4]
Summary
Concerns are being expressed around the lack of diversity at higher levels of clinical academia. Dentists, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who combine clinical practice with academic research and/or teaching. The benefits of undertaking clinical academic training include enhanced career satisfaction and improved prospects for promotion [1] Clinical academics bring their clinical expertise and experience to research projects which have potentially wide benefits for the health service and patient care [2]. There are differences in the clinical academic training offered to doctors and dentists (medical clinical academics, MCAs) and the academic training provision for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals ( NMAHPs). These differences are discussed fully elsewhere [3] but briefly, MCAs are able to begin clinical academic training from medical school onwards. Unlike their medical colleagues, there is no integrated pathway for NMAHPs which means that they often have to reduce their clinical hours or leave their clinical post, in order to pursue a clinical academic career [3]
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