Medicine
ACFs are considered as run-through posts for the duration of the ACF and beyond. Clinical progression is based on the achievement of competencies. ACF postholders with NTNs and DRNs are not required to undergo competitive application to enter specialty training at ST3 or ST4.
For specialties without a core training period, the ACF will enter directly into the specialty programme. For specialties with a core training period, they will be advertised as specialty specific, for example, Gastroenterology. The ACF would have direct appointment to the advertised specialty-specific academic programme for example, gastroenterology, even if they were appointed at ST1, ST2, ST3 (or ST4 in Group 1 specialties, Emergency Medicine, General Psychiatry or Paediatrics). For IMT1 appointments progression would be directly into the advertised specialty, regardless of entry level, as long as core competencies and the relevant requirements for the speciality training programme were obtained.
Dentistry
Specialty-specific ACFs are considered as run-through posts for the duration of the ACF and beyond. Clinical progression is based on the achievement of competencies. ACFs who go out of programme to undertake a PhD or postdoctoral fellowship will retain their run-through status.