Organisation: MLCO/MFT NHS Community Crisis Response Team
Why were you interested in research and this ARC Internship?
Throughout my nursing career I have always been highly driven and self motivated, keen to develop both professionally and personally. Since gaining my initial diploma I have gone on to successfully complete my BSc in Nursing and MSc in Advanced Practice, with a goal to obtain my PhD.
Following completion of my MSc I worked as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) in Emergency Medicine (EM), a field I had worked in for 17 years of my nursing career. With this new perspective on practice I was able to utilise both holistic and clinical acumen to benefit my patients care. From here I identified that many high-risk groups such as those living with frailty, end of life and increased social care needs were being admitted when care could have been provided at home. I therefore moved into a community response team whose ethos is to provide care for patients in their usual residence to avoid hospital admission.
I am committed to nursing and patient centred care, my aim in this new role was to create admission avoidance pathways, to improve patient outcomes and integrate primary and secondary care working. However, I had very limited exposure of both research, and the professional pathways available, to help me succeed.
The ARC-GM internship offered me the chance to acquire the essential research skills needed with the supervisory guidance to bring my ideas to fruition. The core themes were not only aligned with my clinical academic area of interest but also with the trusts vision and values, benefitting the patient cohort.
What has been the impact of the Internship?
I have undertaken and successfully completed a MSc level module in Research Design. Critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current research inclusive of sampling methods, data collection and issues of reliability/validity. Studying both qualitative and quantitative research design and methods whilst critically evaluating their application to study.
I have produced a research proposal describing a piece of research relating to health care using a pre-determined grant application format, which has formed the basis of my pilot study, a rapid response service. The pilot has a member of the crisis response team at the front door of secondary services, primarily covering the Emergency Department to facilitate early discharges. Data is being collated with early analysis proving very positive and the service is now successfuly embedded in practice.
The internship developed my confidence to submit several abstracts for consideration at conferences. I have successfully secured two presenter positions with Health Education England Advanced Practice. One nationally and one regionall where I will be presenting, my rapid response/admission avoidance work.I
With the guidance and supervision of my ARC GM mentors, I was successful in obtaining an NIHR ARC GM Pre-doctorate fellowship. This next step will allow me to further develop my research proposal and PhD application.
What are your plans for after the Internship?
As an aspiring nurse consultant with MFT I intend to progress from a NIHR AR GM pre-doctorate fellowship to a PhD.
I will be utilising my time on the pre-doctorate fellowship to create a substantial portfolio of evidence with a clearly defined research question, based on my current work, to put forward in application.