Search

Why you should read this article: • To learn about a training programme which develops nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals’ research skills • To understand how the training programme was evaluated • To find out the extent to which participants’ confidence in research-related activities increased during the programme. Background: Research forms an important part of clinical practice for nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals (NMAHPs). However, it is known there is a lack of confidence in this community in the development and use of research skills. The 4Ps Programme is a bespoke research-training programme that focuses on four areas: place, project, person and plan. Aim: To report an evaluation of the 4Ps Programme that used a survey to record the confidence levels reported by NMAHPs. Discussion: An increase in participants’ confidence was observed across all modules in the 4Ps Programme. This exceeded the standard deviation in the ‘place’ session, demonstrating genuine improvement. It was not possible to demonstrate a significant improvement in all cases. Low response rates affected the quality of the data obtained in the study, which would have benefitted from a more targeted approach to questions and better enabled the tracking of individuals’ improvement over the course of the programme. Conclusion: Participation in bespoke, targeted training related to research could lead to an increase in NMAHPs’ confidence in research-related activities. Efforts need to be made to refine the evaluation approach and improve response rates. Implications for practice: The 4Ps Programme can improve research-related confidence. Improved and further longitudinal evaluation will assess its impact in developing future clinical academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To be able to demonstrate the multiple impacts of research educational initiatives to the organisation funding them • To appreciate why changes in culture are needed in the health professions to support an evidence-base to better serve our populations • To understand how to build research capacity and show the benefit of investing in training opportunities Background: There is increasing emphasis in the UK on developing a nurse, midwife and allied health professional (NMAHP) workforce that conducts research. Training for clinical academic careers is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). However, the low number of successful applicants suggested there were barriers to achieving this. The Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Led Research (CNMR) launched a fellowship programme in 2016 to backfill two days a week of NMAHPs' time for up to a year, to give them time to make competitive applications to the NIHR. Aim: To report a study evaluating the CNMR fellowship programme. Discussion: The making Visible the ImpaCT Of Research (VICTOR) tool (Cooke et al 2019) was developed to describe the organisational impact of research. The 2016-17 CNMR fellows completed VICTOR and their responses were analysed using a framework approach. The analysis found the main benefits of participating in the programme were protected time for research, opportunities to develop collaborations, increasing intra- and inter-professional awareness of NMAHPs' research, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations. Challenges included a lack of support from line managers, limited value placed on NMAHPs' research and failure to backfill posts. Conclusion: There were some challenges with the fellowship programme, but all recipients found it to be a positive experience and undertook significant scholarly activity. Implications for practice: A contractual agreement must be established to foster committed partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the NHS. HEIs and the NHS should conduct frank discussions of the challenges encountered in fellowship programmes. Positive initiatives and outcomes in tertiary education and clinical settings should be shared to improve fellows' experiences and enhance partnerships between HEIs and the NHS. Job descriptions should include time allocation to review fellowship candidates' applications regardless of outcome. The showcasing of research successes and the benefits of NMAHP research must evolve to secure organisational 'buy in', which is the precursor to widening access to clinical academic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals are integral to research, yet rarely engage simultaneously in research and clinical practice. Clinical academic internships offer a route for accessing academic research training. Aim: To determine facilitators and barriers to nurses' participation and engagement in research internships, and to suggest improvements for future programmes. Discussion: The experiences of ten health professional research interns were explored, using a method based on a synthesis between grounded theory and content analysis. Four categories emerged: integrating clinical and research aspirations; support – or lack of it; the hidden curriculum; and the legacy effect. Respondents identified facilitators and barriers to engagement in these categories, including unforeseen challenges. Conclusion: Formal support is necessary but is insufficient for fostering engagement and maximising benefits. Participation must be supported by colleagues and enabled by institutional structures. The potential effects of internships on engagement with research is considerable but requires collaboration between all stakeholders. Implications for practice: Deeper institutional engagement is needed so that internship opportunities are fully supported by all colleagues and practically enabled by institutional structures. Future schemes should attempt to promote opportunities to collaborate through group projects to reduce researchers' isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Imposter syndrome is common among early career nurse researchers and often has a considerable impact on those affected. It can cause various problems, including anxiety, self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, and therefore has significant potential to adversely affect personal and professional development. Aim: To critically explore the concept of imposter syndrome among early-to-mid career nurse researchers. Discussion: There may be several reasons why imposter syndrome is common among nurse researchers. Evidence suggests it is ubiquitous in other academic disciplines across the higher education sector, particularly in early-to-mid career researchers. It is unclear how or why nurse researchers are affected by this phenomenon, and whether feeling like an imposter is problematic in this context. Conclusion: Imposter syndrome can be deeply unsettling, particularly at times of specific exposure or peer review. It is relatively normal for even the most experienced, successful researchers to feel like this. Related feelings of self-doubt and critical self-reflection are essential in appropriate measures to research and can reduce researchers' potential for making significant mistakes. Implications for practice: When managed appropriately, imposter syndrome can be important in scholarly activity and ongoing personal and professional development. Recognising this is an important first step in mitigating related feelings of inadequacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This article offers a reflection by a novice researcher undertaking an integrated clinical academic internship with the National Institute for Health Research and Health Education England. Aim: To offer insight into research internships, and demonstrate the benefits and challenges encountered. Discussion: Exposure to research while remaining in clinical practice gives nurses the opportunity to increase their knowledge, develop research skills and network. Associated challenges include feeling like a novice, balancing the demands of clinical practice and research, and the development of new skills. Conclusion: Internship programmes can create health systems in which practitioners also undertake research but there are associated challenges. Implications for practice: Research internships offer nurses insight and exposure to a world of research that may previously have been invisible to them; they can act as a platform for nurses to develop clinical academic careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]