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Research, Audit & Teaching Masterclass + 1 Collaborative Peer-Reviewed Publication Opportunity
Research, Clinical Audit & Teaching (RAT) Course for New NHS IMGs
Includes an Opportunity to Contribute to a Collaborative Peer-Reviewed Article
Build a stronger NHS portfolio with practical, structured learning in research, clinical audit/quality improvement and teaching.
The LAJ Academy RAT Course is a 100% self-paced programme for new NHS IMGs, trust-grade doctors, clinical fellows and doctors preparing for competitive specialty-training, fellowship or academic opportunities.
Rather than simply stating that you are “interested” in research, audit or teaching, this course helps you understand how to plan, contribute to, document and present meaningful work that can strengthen your professional development evidence.
You will also receive entry to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group, including an opportunity to contribute actively to a collaborative article that may be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
What you will learn
Research and academic writing
Learn how to:
Develop a focused research question and project idea
Carry out structured literature searches
Use references and avoid common academic-writing mistakes
Critically appraise medical literature
Understand basic study design and research methodology
Write abstracts, posters and manuscript sections
Learn the foundations of narrative reviews, systematic reviews and collaborative writing
Understand peer review, publication processes, authorship and contributorship
Clinical audit and quality improvement
Learn how to:
Identify a realistic audit or QI topic within your NHS department or local setting
Select relevant standards and measurable targets
Create aims, objectives and an appropriate methodology
Collect, analyse and present data
Interpret findings and make practical recommendations
Develop an action plan and demonstrate improvement
Understand re-audit and closing the audit loop
Produce portfolio-ready evidence of your contribution
Teaching and medical education
Learn how to:
Identify learners’ needs
Write clear aims, objectives and learning outcomes
Plan and structure a teaching session
Use appropriate teaching methods and resources
Deliver engaging teaching to students, colleagues or multidisciplinary teams
Collect meaningful feedback
Assess learner understanding
Reflect on your teaching and produce evidence for your NHS portfolio
Opportunity to contribute to a collaborative peer-reviewed article
Course enrolment includes access to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group.
This gives committed participants an opportunity to contribute to collaborative academic projects, which may include literature searching, screening articles, critical appraisal, drafting sections, reference management, manuscript review and responding to feedback.
This is designed to help doctors gain genuine experience of how an academic article progresses from an initial idea through collaborative drafting, submission and peer review.
Previous research-writing collaboration has contributed to:
“Vascular Surgery Training and Practice in West Africa: A Narrative Review of Current Capacity and Challenges”
Published in the Journal of the West African College of Surgeons.
Read the published article
A further collaborative article:
“Emerging of Robotic Surgery in West Africa: Opportunities and Challenges Across Surgical Specialties”
has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the West African College of Surgeons.
This course therefore provides more than theory. It offers the opportunity to build research skills through real collaborative academic work.
Important: Participation in the Research Writing Group does not guarantee authorship, publication, journal acceptance or a training post. Authorship will be based on meaningful, documented contribution and recognised authorship standards. Any article remains subject to editorial and peer-review decisions by the relevant journal.
Why this matters for NHS training applications
Research, clinical audit/QI and teaching experience continue to be relevant across many NHS specialty-training pathways. Their exact weighting varies by specialty and recruitment round, but current national guidance for Core Surgical Training identifies research, audit/QI and teaching as desirable experience, while the 2025/26 portfolio process includes formal evidence-based scoring.
For higher surgical training, including General Surgery ST3, national person specifications also recognise audit/QI and broader professional-development evidence.
The medical-training prioritisation arrangements do not remove the value of a strong, well-evidenced application. NHS England states that, for posts starting in 2026, prioritisation applies at the offer stage; for posts starting from 2027, it is intended to apply at both shortlisting and offer stages. This makes it particularly important to understand the requirements of your target specialty, maximise the quality of evidence you can legitimately claim and prepare thoroughly for assessed recruitment stages.
This course does not promise a training number. It helps you develop skills and evidence that may support applications where research, audit/QI and teaching are assessed or valued.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for:
New NHS IMGs
Trust-grade doctors and clinical fellows
Doctors preparing for Core Training, ST3, GP, radiology, medical, surgical or academic applications
Doctors who want to start or improve a clinical audit/QI project
Doctors who want to build a teaching portfolio
Doctors with limited previous research or publication experience
Doctors looking for structured support and collaborative academic opportunities
What is included
100% self-paced online learning
Practical research, audit and teaching guidance
Reusable templates, examples and checklists
Structured support to plan your own research, audit/QI or teaching activity
Entry to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group
Opportunity to contribute to a collaborative article for possible peer-reviewed submission
Guidance on documenting evidence for your portfolio, appraisal and interview discussions
Study around your NHS shifts, exams, family commitments and other responsibilities.
Flexible Payment Plan — £200 Total
Start your course today with a £50 deposit at checkout. The remaining balance will be spread across three affordable monthly instalments of £50 each.
Deposit: £50.00 — charged at checkout
Instalment 1: £50.00 — charged after 1 month
Instalment 2: £50.00 — charged after 2 months
Instalment 3: £50.00 — charged after 3 months
Total Course Fee: £200.00
Start today with just £50, then spread the remaining balance across three monthly instalments.
Useful official recruitment resources
Build your evidence. Develop real skills. Contribute meaningfully. Strengthen your NHS portfolio.
Research, Clinical Audit & Teaching (RAT) Course for New NHS IMGs
Includes an Opportunity to Contribute to a Collaborative Peer-Reviewed Article
Build a stronger NHS portfolio with practical, structured learning in research, clinical audit/quality improvement and teaching.
The LAJ Academy RAT Course is a 100% self-paced programme for new NHS IMGs, trust-grade doctors, clinical fellows and doctors preparing for competitive specialty-training, fellowship or academic opportunities.
Rather than simply stating that you are “interested” in research, audit or teaching, this course helps you understand how to plan, contribute to, document and present meaningful work that can strengthen your professional development evidence.
You will also receive entry to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group, including an opportunity to contribute actively to a collaborative article that may be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
What you will learn
Research and academic writing
Learn how to:
Develop a focused research question and project idea
Carry out structured literature searches
Use references and avoid common academic-writing mistakes
Critically appraise medical literature
Understand basic study design and research methodology
Write abstracts, posters and manuscript sections
Learn the foundations of narrative reviews, systematic reviews and collaborative writing
Understand peer review, publication processes, authorship and contributorship
Clinical audit and quality improvement
Learn how to:
Identify a realistic audit or QI topic within your NHS department or local setting
Select relevant standards and measurable targets
Create aims, objectives and an appropriate methodology
Collect, analyse and present data
Interpret findings and make practical recommendations
Develop an action plan and demonstrate improvement
Understand re-audit and closing the audit loop
Produce portfolio-ready evidence of your contribution
Teaching and medical education
Learn how to:
Identify learners’ needs
Write clear aims, objectives and learning outcomes
Plan and structure a teaching session
Use appropriate teaching methods and resources
Deliver engaging teaching to students, colleagues or multidisciplinary teams
Collect meaningful feedback
Assess learner understanding
Reflect on your teaching and produce evidence for your NHS portfolio
Opportunity to contribute to a collaborative peer-reviewed article
Course enrolment includes access to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group.
This gives committed participants an opportunity to contribute to collaborative academic projects, which may include literature searching, screening articles, critical appraisal, drafting sections, reference management, manuscript review and responding to feedback.
This is designed to help doctors gain genuine experience of how an academic article progresses from an initial idea through collaborative drafting, submission and peer review.
Previous research-writing collaboration has contributed to:
“Vascular Surgery Training and Practice in West Africa: A Narrative Review of Current Capacity and Challenges”
Published in the Journal of the West African College of Surgeons.
Read the published article
A further collaborative article:
“Emerging of Robotic Surgery in West Africa: Opportunities and Challenges Across Surgical Specialties”
has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the West African College of Surgeons.
This course therefore provides more than theory. It offers the opportunity to build research skills through real collaborative academic work.
Important: Participation in the Research Writing Group does not guarantee authorship, publication, journal acceptance or a training post. Authorship will be based on meaningful, documented contribution and recognised authorship standards. Any article remains subject to editorial and peer-review decisions by the relevant journal.
Why this matters for NHS training applications
Research, clinical audit/QI and teaching experience continue to be relevant across many NHS specialty-training pathways. Their exact weighting varies by specialty and recruitment round, but current national guidance for Core Surgical Training identifies research, audit/QI and teaching as desirable experience, while the 2025/26 portfolio process includes formal evidence-based scoring.
For higher surgical training, including General Surgery ST3, national person specifications also recognise audit/QI and broader professional-development evidence.
The medical-training prioritisation arrangements do not remove the value of a strong, well-evidenced application. NHS England states that, for posts starting in 2026, prioritisation applies at the offer stage; for posts starting from 2027, it is intended to apply at both shortlisting and offer stages. This makes it particularly important to understand the requirements of your target specialty, maximise the quality of evidence you can legitimately claim and prepare thoroughly for assessed recruitment stages.
This course does not promise a training number. It helps you develop skills and evidence that may support applications where research, audit/QI and teaching are assessed or valued.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for:
New NHS IMGs
Trust-grade doctors and clinical fellows
Doctors preparing for Core Training, ST3, GP, radiology, medical, surgical or academic applications
Doctors who want to start or improve a clinical audit/QI project
Doctors who want to build a teaching portfolio
Doctors with limited previous research or publication experience
Doctors looking for structured support and collaborative academic opportunities
What is included
100% self-paced online learning
Practical research, audit and teaching guidance
Reusable templates, examples and checklists
Structured support to plan your own research, audit/QI or teaching activity
Entry to the LAJ Academy Research Writing Group
Opportunity to contribute to a collaborative article for possible peer-reviewed submission
Guidance on documenting evidence for your portfolio, appraisal and interview discussions
Study around your NHS shifts, exams, family commitments and other responsibilities.
Flexible Payment Plan — £200 Total
Start your course today with a £50 deposit at checkout. The remaining balance will be spread across three affordable monthly instalments of £50 each.
Deposit: £50.00 — charged at checkout
Instalment 1: £50.00 — charged after 1 month
Instalment 2: £50.00 — charged after 2 months
Instalment 3: £50.00 — charged after 3 months
Total Course Fee: £200.00
Start today with just £50, then spread the remaining balance across three monthly instalments.
Useful official recruitment resources
Build your evidence. Develop real skills. Contribute meaningfully. Strengthen your NHS portfolio.