Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Internship FAQ
The advert states that the internship will be for two days per week from January to July. Can you confirm what days of the week this will be? And will it be consistently 2 days per week, or does it vary?
The internship programme will run over a seven-month period from January 2025 to July 2025, during which interns will be seconded from their workplace for a minimum of two days per week (or equivalent). The two days are to suit you and your workplace, except for the University-led workshops, which are held on Friday mornings.
What happens on the two days per week during the internship? Are there taught sessions for me to attend?
The taught sessions are delivered in workshops, where you hear from a range of experienced researchers. These are 3-4 weekly on Friday mornings (dates provided in advance) and are delivered virtually via Teams, with some in-person workshops at London South Bank University, Southwark campus. There are two online peer support/reflection sessions towards the end of the programme, before the final workshop where you present an e-poster of your research proposal.
Most of the internship is divided between self-directed study, and work-based learning in the intern’s selected clinical learning environment. Therefore, it is important for interns to take ownership of their learning and development during the programme, with support from clinical and academic mentors.
Are there ongoing assignments for this course or just the research proposal to be produced at the end?
The internship is not an academically accredited programme of study and therefore there are no summatively assessed assignments. However, there are expected outcomes: a research proposal, and achievement of research competencies.
For the proposal, interns identify a research topic (in association with their employer) and develop a research proposal, which they present as an e-poster at their final workshop. Note: the research project is not carried out during the internship.
Throughout the internship, interns work on developing their research competencies, as identified in their handbook, and compiling an e-portfolio evidencing their learning and development, reviewed with their mentors.
Do I get any academic credit for completing the internship?
No, there is no academic credit attached to the internship. However, all interns are enrolled on the masters-level Work-Based Learning module, to enable access to University learning resources. If you wish to attain academic credit you can complete the assessments for this module (a critical reflection on your learning, and a portfolio of learning). There are online sessions from the WBL module leader about these assessments; these are separate to the internship workshops. Completing these assessments to gain academic credit is not a requirement of the internship, but an additional opportunity available to interns.
The application requires a summary of my proposed research plan, can you be more specific on what the requirements are?
The proposed plan, which is no more than 500 words, should give a summary of the activities that you intend to carry out during the internship. These will include the work-based placement activities, for example, shadowing researchers in practice, observing local research meetings, and meeting with research active health care professionals. You should also include plans for your self-directed learning and a tentative idea for the research proposal and how you will develop this. However, you will not be required to actually collect the data during your internship so the plan will not include the carrying out of the research project.
Where will I get support during the internship?
There is a range of support available. You must submit a statement of support from your line manager with the application. During the internship, interns have a clinical mentor and an academic mentor. They can also access support from the internship programme leader and are encouraged to establish peer support networks. Previous cohorts have reported that actively taking part in peer support helps generate ideas, expands their research networks, and reduces isolation.
There is a requirement for a clinical mentor. How do I find a clinical mentor?
The clinical mentor should be a research active healthcare professional who can work in the same Trust / Department as yourself but should not be your direct line manager. It is your responsibility to identify and approach a person to be your clinical mentor. As this is an important part of the internship programme, you must provide the name and role of the clinical mentor in your application. The best approach is to use your networks in the Trust to find a suitable person and then contact them.
What are the expectations from the clinical mentor?
The clinical mentor’s role is to facilitate a supportive environment for you to achieve the identified research competencies and broaden your exposure to research delivery and governance. For example, this could include signposting to Trust research meetings or opportunities for shadowing people who are conducting research or involved with research governance. Your clinical mentor also supports you to develop a better understanding of research careers, and to become a research champion in your local area.
Who would my academic mentor be and what is their role?
The programme team will allocate you an academic mentor from LSBU or King’s. The academic mentor will support the development of your knowledge, skills and behaviours and signpost learning opportunities. The academic mentor supports you in developing your research proposal and working on the research competencies.
How often should I meet my mentors, and should I do so with them together?
You will usually meet with your mentors monthly, for around 30 minutes, either face-to-face or via Microsoft Teams. There are six hours of the internship allocated to clinical-academic mentorship. You can plan a meeting with both together, if your mentors and you feel this will be helpful. However, this is not a requirement.
Can I apply if I work in a university?
Exceptionally, you may be eligible to apply, but you would need to arrange for the work-based learning to take place in a clinical setting, and a clinical mentor. Please contact the programme leader for further discussion.
Can I apply if I work bank for a hospital?
You are eligible to apply if you fit the following criteria:
Employed by an NHS provider of health and/care services with at least 50% of its services free at the point of delivery and at least 50% of current role spent delivering health and/care services.
Working in an NHS primary, secondary or community care organisation within the London region.
Can I apply if I am seconded to a hospital?
If you have a joint appointment or a paid NHS secondment, then you are eligible to apply.
The secondment needs to be negotiated with your line manager. A flexible approach is recommended to support service delivery whereby negotiating a block of time can be allocated for release to attend / observe other clinical areas.
If a candidate is in a practice development role, where their work is not always patient facing, would they be eligible to apply?
A person in a practice development setting is eligible to apply for and undertake this programme.
For those in education or practice development their inquiry and focus could be on education and development / training questions as this is within their sphere of practice in the delivery of services within the NHS. This is a valuable development opportunity if you are thinking of pursuing a career within education in the future.
Which hospitals are considered London region; what if I am part of a trust but my site is outside London?
This details where HEE identifies as the London region.
How do I obtain the £10,500?
The award of £6,000 will cover module and course costs incurred by LSBU for your participation in the internship programme. A further £10,500 will be provided to your Trust in the form of training funds to be distributed to department. Please note these funds are not intended to cover staff backfill costs associated with time completing the internship programme requirements.