If you are invited to attend an interview you will be required to collect your references. You are required to provide us with details of three professional referees who are qualified to give a recent assessment of your clinical performance and experience relevant to this application, one of which must be an Academic referee. The first referee must be the consultant under whom you are currently working – irrespective of how long this may have been for. If you are not currently employed then this referee must be your last supervisor, trainer, or consultant.

One of your referees should be able to advise the recruitment panel of your academic strengths and weaknesses. The referee may be someone who has knowledge of your skills and attributes from some time ago, e.g. Supervisor of an intercalated degree or special study module. It is important however that the academic referee carefully considers your suitability for a long-term career in academic medicine. You are expected to discuss your application with the academic referee and to have established that the referee is happy to submit a reference and will be able to respond promptly to any request to do so. 

Referees will be asked to comment on:

i) their perception of your commitment to an academic career,

ii) academic competencies that you have already developed,

iii) your potential for further development as a clinical academic,

Where appropriate and applicable the referee may also comment on the role played 

It is your responsibility to contact your referees and ask them to complete a structured reference form. You must ensure your referee fully completes the form, including their signature and hospital/departmental stamp/signed compliment slip.  The reference form is available from our website.  If references are to be received via email, they must be sent from the referee’s NHS email account to the Recruitment Helpdesk.

It is your responsibility to ensure that references are provided to the interview panel on the day of your interview.