Lecturing and teaching jobs in medicine and dentistry encompasses a vast range of academic specialisms, from sports medicine jobs to lecturing in prosthodontics.
Universities are looking for highly-qualified clinicians and experts who can inspire the next generation of doctors and dentists, while also contributing to complex medical research programmes.
There are two routes into a lecturing career in medicine and dentistry:
- Clinical lecturing jobs: clinical lecturers divide their time between teaching and research in universities and treating patients in hospitals, dental surgeries and other healthcare settings.
- Non-clinical lecturing jobs: non-clinical lecturers and teachers in medicine and dentistry engage in research and teaching but are not practising clinicians.
Job descriptions
- Clinical Lecturer
- Clinical Teaching Fellow/Associate
- Senior Lecturer/Lecturer (non-clinical)
- Teaching Fellow/Associate (non-clinical)
Clinical Lecturer
Clinical Lecturers are doctors and dentists who combine their clinical duties in healthcare settings with teaching and research in universities.
Clinical lecturer jobs can be available in any field of medicine and dentistry and the posts are generally joint-funded by hospitals, NHS trusts and universities.
Duties:
- Planning and delivery of high-quality teaching
- Providing clinical supervision to undergraduate and postgraduate students
- Course design and curriculum development
- Carrying out clinical practice
- Playing an active role in clinical research in a specialist field
- Leading research groups (senior clinical lecturers)
What qualifications and experience do you need?
Most clinical lectureships require candidates to have a PhD, an exemplary academic record and significant clinical practice experience. You may also be required to undertake a teacher training qualification.
What’s the pay?
Around 70% of clinical lecturer roles are full-time and have a starting salary of between £30,000-£39,999. However, senior clinical lecturer roles in medicine and dentistry can command anything up to £99,436.
What can it lead to?
Clinical lecturers will already have an established medical or dentistry career and a wealth of research experience behind them. They are usually eligible for promotion after around 5-7 years.
The next academic levels would be senior clinical lecturer, reader or professor in your medicine and dentistry specialism. Promotion is dependent on research output and quality of teaching practice.
Where can I find clinical lecturer jobs?
As clinical lecturer roles are highly specialised and require niche skills, there tends to be a smaller pool of jobs available. However, there are currently more opportunities due to a recent drive to involve practising doctors and dentists in undergraduate training.
Find clinical lecturer jobs here
Clinical Teaching Fellow/Associate
Like clinical lecturers, clinical teaching fellows or associates also combine their own clinical practice in a healthcare setting with teaching in a university. However, teaching fellows and associates focus primarily on medical education.
If you are a practising clinician and want to nurture the next generation of doctors and dentists, then a clinical teaching fellowship may be the academic route for you.
Duties:
- Planning and delivery of teaching to undergraduate students
- Supporting curriculum development and quality assurance
- Supervising students’ work and mentoring
- Carrying out clinical practice
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A primary medical qualification and the completion of at least year two foundation are essential for clinical teaching fellowships. A teaching qualification is highly desirable.
You will need a breadth of knowledge and practical experience in your clinical field, as well as excellent teaching skills.
What’s the pay?
The average starting salary for a medicine and dentistry clinical teaching fellowship is around £30,000 to £39,999. However senior clinical teaching fellows can earn up to £50,956.
What can it lead to?
Clinical teaching fellowships are aimed at those who have a keen interest in medical education and teaching and want to combine this with clinical practice.
Therefore, promotion tends to be through a teaching route, rather than an academic research route. The next level after clinical teaching fellow would be senior clinical teaching fellow.
Where can I find clinical teaching fellow/associate jobs?
Clinical teaching fellowships have been slightly eclipsed by clinical lecturing and research roles in recent years. However, when available, clinical teaching fellowships offer a great deal of flexibility and are mainly advertised as part-time roles.
Find clinical teaching fellow/associate jobs here
Senior Lecturer/Lecturer (Non-clinical)
Lecturers in medicine and dentistry carry out teaching and research in higher education but do not combine this with clinical practice.
Non-clinical lecturing jobs incorporate a wider range of specialisms and related scientific fields. The roles are heavily research-focused and include any areas related to medicine and dentistry, from public health studies to podiatry.
Duties:
- Planning and delivery of teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate students
- Leading a team of lecturers (senior lecturer)
- Actively engaging in research projects and publishing papers
- Identifying and securing research funding
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD in a relevant medicine or dentistry (or related) discipline, as well as research expertise to at least postdoctoral level, are essential for non-clinical lecturing posts. Some universities also now require a recognised teaching qualification.
What’s the pay?
Salaries for non-clinical lecturing posts in medicine and dentistry can be between £35,326 to £50,296, depending on experience and research output.
What can it lead to?
Experienced lecturers in medicine and dentistry fields can progress to senior lecturer/reader, associate professor, reader and professor in their specialist area.
Where can I find lecturer opportunities in Medicine and Dentistry?
Medicine and dentistry lecturer roles are highly sought-after, with June and July being the busiest months for advertising available opportunities.
Find senior lecturer/lecturer jobs here.
Teaching Fellow/Associate (Non-clinical)
A non-clinical teaching fellow or associate in medicine and dentistry focuses primarily on teaching and support in a wide range of health-related fields. They are usually postgraduate or doctoral students who teach undergraduate medicine and dentistry students.
What qualifications and experience do you need?
The qualifications you will need varies according to specialism. However, candidates applying for teaching fellowships would usually hold postgraduate or doctoral qualifications in their specialist medicine or dentistry field.
Additionally, universities often look for fully qualified doctors and dentists who are not engaged in clinical practice but want to build a career in medical education.
What’s the pay?
Salaries start in the range of £30,000 – £39,999, depending on qualifications and experience.
What can it lead to?
Teaching associates/fellows can progress to senior teaching fellowships or move towards lectureships through academic research routes.
Where can I find teaching associate/fellow jobs in Medicine and Dentistry?
These opportunities are highly sought-after as they offer a starting point on an academic career among postdoctoral medicine and dentistry students, so competition for jobs is high.
Find teaching associate/fellow opportunities in Medicine and Dentistry here.
Further information:
- Jobs in Medicine
- Jobs in Dentistry
- Research jobs in medicine and dentistry
- Senior Level Academic Jobs in Medicine and Dentistry
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