So you're going for it! Welcome to the most important step into the exciting journey of clinical academia.
Here we will spend some time outlining to you some key facts and explanation of the SFP application process, to give you the edge in getting your First Choice SFP/AFP.
All resources available below are made available to First Choice SFP/AFP members at the point of registration. Good luck!
1. Which 2 Units of Application should I apply to?
Choosing your UoAs is a complex decision which involves your personal priorities (family, hobbies, work-life balance), the specialty themed tracks available, the academic themed tracks available (e.g. research versus medical education versus quality improvement), the paired clinical rotations, and the wider package of support available for SFPs (study leave, funding for courses or PGCert, access to study modules, mentorship schemes).
Speak to your family, partner, mentors and research collaborators to work out which fits best for you. Don't be automatically draw by 'big-name' UoAs (London, Oxford, Cambridge) - these jobs may not suit your clinical and/or research interests best!
For specific information about programmes available in each UoA for 2022/23:
East Midlands | East of England | Northern | Northern Ireland | North West | Oxford | Peninsula | Scotland | Severn | Wales | Wessex | West Midlands | Yorkshire
2. How do I get picked for an SFP Interview?
There are 3 things that are taken into account in deciding whether or not you will get an SFP interview:
- White Space Answers: This is the first place where First Choice SFP/AFP can help you quickly and comprehensively. Good written answers require clarity, structure and detail, we present every past question asked over the last 5 years with detailed examples and structures for your responses and 10 Top Tips to ensure that you write world-class responses. Draft yours now and print them to PDF to copy and paste directly to your form or edit later.
- Academic achievements: Here you can list up to a total of 32 pieces of 'evidence' of academic attainment - see our First Choice SFP Academic Achievements (Resource 3) for a detailed overview of how to bolster this section, and build your CV for the future using our Traffic Light system.
- Education Performance Mark (EPM): This relates to how well you have performed throughout University and which 'decile' of scores you fall into. Whilst this is only one part of the puzzle, there are some SFPs that may have a cut-off for your EPM, so it's worth checking this online with your University and UoA before you apply.
3. How do I excel in an SFP/AFP Interview?
So you've been chosen for an interview... congratulations!! We hope First Choice SFP/AFP helped you in the first phase of your application.
Next, you need to prepare for one of the most important interviews of your career to date. It may even be the first interview that you have had since you applied to medical school!
Note that interviews in 2022/23 application round may be online or in-person following adaptations to the process during the COVID-19 pandemic
You can download our free PDF preparation guide for SFP interviews by signing up to our mailing list!
You need to start your preparation now to ensure you are calm, prepared and clear about your academic and career objectives for the day of your interview. First Choice SFP is here to support you in along the way.
- Top tips for Teams Interviews: You need to adapt you preparations to ensure that you are comfortable using an online platform and you have optimised your environment. We run over all the do's and don'ts for Skype/Teams/Zoom interviews, and provide you with our First Choice SFP/AFP checklist for online interviews.
- SFP/AFP Interview Questions: As 10 previous applications to SFP programmes, we have amassed a wealth of experience in the breadth of interview questions that you may be asked as part of your interview process. Look through over 200 example responses, and draft your personalised responses using My Answers to view and practice later with friends. Our presentation on How to answer clinical questions like a specialist registrar gives you the grounding principles you need to manage acute cases across the spectrum of medical practice.
- Academic knowledge: There are some parts of an academic interview that are difficult to practice and prepare for, and excellence can only be demonstrated by a firm grounding in academic principles. Outside of your previous experiences (which may be in a small number of domains or research methods) there are two ways to gain this knowledge before your interview. The first, is to read several academic textbooks - long, laborious, time-wasting. The second, is our Quick Fire Knowledge question bank - covering a wide range of key concepts in clinical academia, designed to increase you confidence and competence in critical appraisal and responding to 'off the cuff' academic questions. Our cutting-edge structured critical appraisal template and worked examples of critical appraisal from peer-reviewers of top journals gives you some real world examples to support your development.
- Oral Presentation: A few UoAs will require a short oral presentation as part of your interview. You need to learn to 'Talk like TED' and use our high-impact presentation tips to ensure that you present your ideas and experience clearly and succinctly, to #beattheratios and gain your First Choice SFP.