A career changing move: improving clinical practice and personal development through research
In the final of our series of blogs about NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (NIHR ARC-GM)’s training and development programmes, we hear from a professional who found supportive peers and supervisors, enhancement of skills and the protected time to complete training to be not only a huge confidence boost, but it alsogave her the ability to appraise evidence more critically before applying it to clinical practice.
Laura Kinsey is Lead Dietitian Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Laura shared her experience of participating in the Pre-doctoral Fellowship programme: “The NIHR ARC-GM Pre-doctoral Fellowship has been immensely advantageous in enhancing my research skills and boosting my confidence. The protected time allowed me to complete Masters level training, conduct research, present at an international conference, and carry out applied research. I have written a protocol for a systematic review published on PROSPERO and I am now carrying out this systematic review. My biggest achievement has been writing a application for a PhD fellowship and I was successful in getting through to the final ten applicants.
“The regular meetings with the NIHR ARC-GM peers, supervisors and the Capacity Building team provided an opportunity to discuss any queries in a supportive environment with peers and mentors. I have accomplished things that would have been impossible within my usual job role. I have been able to attend research meetings regularly which has allowed me to connect with other research-active individuals within my Trust and beyond. Furthermore, I’ve applied for a PhD Fellowship. I have been overwhelmed by the support that everyone within the NIHR ARC-GM programme has offered.
“The knowledge I have gained about public and community involvement and engagement in research applies to clinical service development. I now have a patient group established to support my research and advise on service development. As a team leader I was keen to promote research and this Fellowship has offered me the knowledge and confidence to support students and members of the team to carry out research.
“I would strongly encourage individuals with a passion for research to apply for these Fellowships. In my personal experience, it has been one of the best decisions I have made in my career so far. Despite my long-standing interest in research and having worked in the NHS for almost two decades, this was the first time I had the opportunity to dedicate protected time to enhance my research skills.”
Opportunities to participate in both Research Internships and Pre-doctoral Fellowships are available to health professionals in the Greater Manchester region.
What we have so far supported:
- 35 Internships – including for midwives, paramedics, speech and language therapists, social workers, commissioners and mental health practitioners
- 25 Pre-doctoral Fellowships – including for Pharmacists, Podiatrists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, Physiotherapists and Advanced Clinical Practitioners.
- 12 health and social care organisations across the Greater Manchester region
- Funded research time and academic supervision
- Matched academic supervisor and Internships aligned to at least one of our research themes.
Why take part?
- We offer dedicated time to develop a PhD proposal.
- Participants undertake training and get research experience that will help you to lead your own projects in future.
Fellowships and Internships are available to those from Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professions, Social Care, Public Health, Commissioning and Policy backgrounds.
To find out more about our Research Internships visit https://arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk/hcp-internship
To find out more about our Pre-Doctoral Fellowships visit https://arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk/pre-doctoral-fellowship
You can view all of our nine blogs on the Training and Development programme here.