The Academic Foundation Programme
Dr Jun Wei LIM
BMSc MBChB
Tayside Programme E06003
Outline
Background
Why and where
Application
Interview
Tips
Why AFP?
?Academia
?Leader
?Professor
Competent doctor
Me – International student2nd year SPSSC
Started 4th year project (data collection for 2 years)
4th
Year
Publications and presentationsSurvived 4th
year
5th Year• L
ess audit work
• Sit back and relax
• Offered AFP
You don’t need an academic post to be a competent doctor, an
academia, a great leader or a professor…
Then why?
Structured opportunities
Research, teaching, leadership and management skills, as well as basic foundation programme clinical competencies
Dedicate time in your area of interest
World-class experts
Why Tayside?
Training rotation
A good combination of medicine, surgery and acute care.
Personal reasonsMovingStress about being a doctorFamiliar faces
Scottish Medical Training
Other areas
Aberdeen – all surgical rotations
Edinburgh – transplant unit and critical care research group
Cambridge – ?transplant surgery, medical microbiology
Oxford – clinical pathology, psychiatry
Warwick – orthopaedic, ICU
Leeds - neurosurgery
London – everything… (127 posts)
Application
FPAS, all online
Start early
Understand the programme
Academic excellencePapers, presentations, prizes, extra degrees,
additional experiences
Application form - 4 questions each
AFP Scotland 2015
Examples of questions asked when applying via FPAS:
Up to 2 research projects
Up to 2 different teaching settings
Up to 2 leadership roles
Why Scotland
Be concise, specific and complete
Word counts (200 words)
Important to ask someone to proof read for you
Guide
Interview – the hard part…
Fully research the programme
Know your research / audit projects
Practice interviews (peers, current AFP, mentors…)
Smart and confident
Think before you respond
If you don’t know the answer, work it out from first principles
My interview…
3 interviewersProfessor Emad M El-Omar
2 questions each, roughlyResearch that I am proud ofWhat area and whyA paper that I readClinical scenario – address a mistakeAcademic scenario – types of research
Common questions…
What is AFP? Why?
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Could you cope with AFP? What would you do if your project goes wrong?
What would you do if you are struggling with your clinical skills?
What is audit and what is research? What is quality improvement?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Teaching
Ethic cases
Tips
Certificates AND programme list If you have presented in a conference, keep the conference’s
programme list. A certificate of attendance doesn’t necessary mean that you were there to deliver the presentation.
Constantly update your CV
Mentors
Start early
Speak to people
Fully researched the programme; which one and which rotation
Work hard
Me – International student2nd year SPSSC
Started 4th year project (data collection for 2 years)
4th
Year
Publications and presentationsSurvived 4th
year
5th Year• N
o audit work
• Sit back and relax
• Offered AFP
Me – International student2nd year SPSSC
Started 4th year project (data collection for 2 years)
4th
Year
Publications and presentationsSurvived 4th
year
5th Year• L
ess audit work
• Sit back and relax
• Offered AFP
Newcastle, Birmingham and WarwickInternational conferences Publications
Failed 2nd Year
Just a 2:1
?SJT scores
Remember to have fun too…