ABSTRACT
Modern medical training usually concentrates on producing a competent, safe doctor who can learn and progress during their professional development. This approach tends to favour clinical practice rather than research. Most doctors are already equipped with the basic tools they need for research – a basic scientific understanding of pathology, a desire to learn new things and improve practice, and a care for the outcomes of patients. During a doctor's career, there are opportunities to pause clinical training in order to take some time out to undertake research as part of a higher degree – for example an MD or PhD. An Out of Programme for Research is an opportunity for both professional and personal development and offers a change in working pattern to that otherwise experienced by junior doctors during training. As a junior doctor in clinical practice, there are usually more senior doctors around who could ‘rescue’ a situation that wasn't going as intended.
