The HSDTC PGR Buddy Scheme helps early-stage doctoral research students in the Health Faculties at King’s to find their feet, to network with other researchers outside of their immediate surroundings, and to gain valuable information on a range of useful topics.

First year Starting PGR Students are paired with a later-stage PGR Buddy based on mutually shared areas of support and guidance in one or more of the following areas:

• Accessing Resources and Training
• Balancing Caring Responsibilities and your PhD
• Careers Options
• Coping During Lockdown
• Funding Options
• How King’s Works
• Managing Dual Careers for Health Professional Researchers
• Supervisor Relationship
• Public Engagement & Outreach
• Publishing
• Teaching
• Upgrade Report
• Volunteering
• Working Part-Time or Flexible Hours
• Workload Management in your PhD

Starting PGR Students will be looking for support from more experienced doctoral researchers, and must have begun their doctoral studies at King’s on or after Wednesday 1 February 2023.

PGR Buddies are more experienced doctoral researchers who can provide support and guidance to newer students, and must have completed their Upgrade and expect to be transferred to PhD status by Friday 29 September 2023.

We'll aim to let you know who you've been matched with by Monday 09 October. Using the information that you provide in this application form, we will aim to match a starting student with the most appropriate buddy. Please note, however, that we may not be able to find you the "perfect" match and if things don't seem to be working out, please feel free to get in touch with us at hs-dtc@kcl.ac.uk and we'll help you out.

We'll hold an informational Buddy Scheme webinar from 12:00-13:00 BST on 05 October 2023, during which you'll learn more about how the scheme works and you'll have the opportunity to ask any questions.

Once you have been paired, we'd suggest you have an initial chat by phone or video call, or in person if you both prefer, and you can then decide between you how often to speak and topics that you'd like to cover. As a guide, however, we suggest that you have at least three conversations between October 2023 and January 2024.

We'll request some feedback from you in early Spring 2024 and to get an insight into your experiences of taking part in the scheme.

The HSDTC PGR Buddy Scheme is open to doctoral research students in one of the four Health Faculties at King's College London:

• Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
• Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
• Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
• Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry & Neuroscience

We know that research-active Health Professionals (also sometimes referred to as Clinical Academic Researchers) may face specific challenges in navigating clinical and academic careers, and the HSDTC PGR Buddy Scheme is one way in which we support your career development and progression. Please let us know in your application if you're a Health Professional, and we’ll do our best to match you with a suitable PGR Buddy, if that’s what you’re after. Health Professionals include, but are not limited to, medical doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, and other health professionals such as clinical psychologists and pharmacists.

PGR Buddies should agree to:

• Attend the informational Buddy Scheme Webinar at 12:00 - 13:00 BST, Thursday 05 October 2023.
• Respond to their allocated Starting Student’s communications in a timely manner
• Meet with their allocated Starting PGR Student for an initial conversation

Please note that PGR Buddies will not be expected to provide the kind of support that a PhD supervisor provides (i.e. input on a Starting PGR Student’s research project or pastoral support).

Starting PGR Students should agree to:

• Attend the informational Buddy Scheme Webinar at 12:00 - 13:00 BST, Thursday 05 October 2023.
• Make first contact with their matched PGR Buddy to introduce themselves and propose an initial meeting time and venue (online or in-person)
• Respond to their matched PGR Buddy's communications in a timely manner

Complete this application form by 17:00 BST on Friday 29 September 2023

If you’ve already completed the first year of your doctorate, this could be a great opportunity to share your experiences of doing doctoral research at King’s, give something back to researchers joining after you, and develop your mentoring and coaching skills; it’ll also look great on your own CV.

You might also be interested in the International PGR Buddy Scheme, which is organised via the Centre for Doctoral Studies. You can participate in both PGR Buddy Schemes but please note carefully the eligibility criteria for each scheme.

If you have any concerns or questions about the HSDTC PGR Buddy Scheme, please email hs-dtc@kcl.ac.uk.