Contract lengths and renewals
Although some research nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (NMAHPS)* we spoke to were employed on ‘open-ended’, ‘permanent’ or ‘substantive’ contracts, most had started in research delivery posts on ‘fixed-term’ posts or been on these at some point. The duration of fixed-term posts varied dramatically – from just six weeks to five years. Some (including Alice, Graham and James) had started in research on secondments which gave them opportunities to experience the role with the security of having posts to return to.
Fixed-term posts were a major cause of concern for many, especially for those with mortgages and families to support. Ginny felt that fixed-term contracts didn’t “inspire much continuity or loyalty” and, for Dawn, “it almost put me off taking the post because it was a one year contract”. Alice felt temporary contracts negatively affected others’ perceptions of research midwives, as it suggested they weren’t valuable or part of clinical care*.
Alice pointed out that the notice period on contracts for research midwives risked them becoming unemployed as there may be delays in getting another job.
Alice pointed out that the notice period on contracts for research midwives risked them becoming unemployed as there may be delays in getting another job.
Age at interview: 29
Sex: Female
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So also sometimes you may not have enough notice to be able to find a job because we actually have as Band 7’s we have eight weeks’ notice so in theory they could, you know, it doesn’t happen in practice in any decent workplace but in theory they could, you know, decide not to renew at a very short, with a very short notice.
And then, you know, it’s unlikely that you will find a job in eight weeks because obviously if you start applying for a job there’s a process that you have to go through and the job application would be open for a month and then you have to wait for the shortlisting period and then you have to wait for the interviews and then if you’re lucky enough to get the job you have to go through HR [Human Resources] which is tedious, quite a tedious process and it takes a while for HR then to go through vaccinations with you and, you know, all the checks that they need to do and then you eventually get a job. But it might mean that for a couple of months you might be unemployed and that’s something that for some midwives, some people in general it’s just not something that you may want to contemplate, you know, if you have a mortgage like I said and children you just need a regular income.
Nikki negotiated for her research physiotherapist job to be a substantive contract, as she felt fixed-term was too risky.
Nikki negotiated for her research physiotherapist job to be a substantive contract, as she felt fixed-term was too risky.
Age at interview: 34
Sex: Female
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I remember saying like 'I really want to take this job and this is really what I want to do, but I just - I can't leave a substantive role, to move across for six months, because it will fly by, you know, I've almost got to start looking for a new job, or some kind of back-up plan or something straight away, and as much as you can sit there and tell me I'm sure your contract would be renewed, I'm running the risk of it not being renewed, and then what do I do'. And suddenly I've left a profession - not a profession, I've left a pathway or a clinical job that you know, I could, that is substantive and I could carry on for years, for- And then it did kind of feel like I'm trying this out, I don't necessarily know for sure that this would be what I like, to then step into a role that I'm only going to have for six months and you know, I can't - I felt like I couldn't really afford to do it.
I couldn't really afford to take that risk. And I felt the same with a year. Because although it's clearly twice as long as six months, it's still, it would still fly by. And I think you'd still have to sort of go into that job almost sort of thinking 'right, what is my back-up plan, and where am I going to go in a year'. And I just didn't want that kind of pressure. And I kind of- I think I kind of knew that if I kept, if I kept bargaining that I'd probably get what I want. Or, and if I didn't, I think I was happier to stay in a clinical role that I still enjoyed, as I said to you, on a substantive contract. Rather than take the risk, and make the move to move into a research role.
And then luckily, I suppose, or eventually they were like 'fine, we'll just give you a substantive'.
However, some research NMAHPs were not too bothered about fixed-term contracts – either because they felt it would be renewed or they could find another job (research or clinical non-research). James recalled feeling “reassured that… I’d still be skilled enough to get a job back on a ward or somewhere within nursing”. Sandra, Paul and Christine all described fixed-term contracts for their first research delivery posts as providing a “get-out” option – they could leave when the contract finished if they didn’t like the role and without feeling they had ‘given up’. Although Sugrah’s family were concerned about her job being fixed-term, she herself was not too worried: “I know I’ll be okay”. Simona and Ellen highlighted that supposedly ‘permanent’ jobs can be made redundant too and that, despite the name, these do not necessarily have any more stability than fixed-term contracts.
Attitudes to contracts could change with circumstances. For some, fixed-term contracts and uncertain renewals were acceptable while they were relatively young or without dependents – but some anticipated this might change in the future. It was only when she became pregnant and wanted to buy a house that Tabitha felt worried about her fixed contract length.
Paul initially felt that a one-year contract was “a wonderful get-out clause that doesn’t look bad on my CV”. He was confident he could find another nursing job if need be, and so it felt “like a secondment”.
Paul initially felt that a one-year contract was “a wonderful get-out clause that doesn’t look bad on my CV”. He was confident he could find another nursing job if need be, and so it felt “like a secondment”.
Age at interview: 47
Sex: Male
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Cos that’s one of the things that sort of worried me when I first came into research is that it was only a one-year contract. But on the backside, or on the good side of that was actually that if I went in and I didn’t like it, and I just couldn’t do it, I’ve got a wonderful get-out clause that doesn’t look bad on my CV. I’ve got 14 years of experience that gets me back into the ward, with a little bit of refreshing, so it was an ideal opportunity, it was a bit like a secondment I felt when I was going in, that I’ll go in, I’ll give it twelve months, yeah, and then I will make a decision. I actually love it, so it’s, it was very beneficial for me to get a permanent contract, but it didn’t really worry me that much, as much as I know it has worried other colleagues about not having a permanent contract. Everybody has a mortgage to pay and the bills, so things like that. But I always knew that I would be able to get a job if this didn’t work. I could go back to where I was I can travel, not ideally but I know as a nurse I have enough knowledge and experience to be able to go back into nursing.
So, this was like a secondment for me, and it would be an ideal way to see, put my foot in the water, and say actually, “You know I’m glad I give it a go, but it’s really not for me.” And research is not for everybody, it really isn’t. But fortunately for me, it is. It’s one of the best decisions or progressive decisions that I’ve made, it was the right time to move.
Ellen took a research nurse job when the ward she was working on closed down. The experience shaped her views on the meaning of a ‘permanent’ job.
Ellen took a research nurse job when the ward she was working on closed down. The experience shaped her views on the meaning of a ‘permanent’ job.
Age at interview: 50
Sex: Female
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So I was on permanent contract with my Trust that I work at. So when I left to work for the other Trust, I was giving up a permanent position. And I did think about that. But all I thought was 'as a qualified nurse, I'm going to find work somewhere in the NHS'. And I think because my ward had been closed down, I thought 'well, nothing's permanent' [laughs]. It felt a bit mmm, well, you know. I really felt if they could shut that ward that we thought was really important, with highly skilled people, then that could be anywhere. So I thought ‘right’. That probably affected my decision actually, when I think about it. If I hadn't had that experience, I might have hesitated more.
And I met- when I was brand new, I met two cardiology research nurses, not from where I worked, who were working in another speciality. And I said, “Oh, why?” and they said their funding ran out for cardiology. Then next time I saw them, they said they got the funding back [laugh] and they’d gone back to cardiology. But anyway, that made me think 'oh, there's probably jobs going somewhere, you know, in research'. Or, as I said, as a qualified nurse.
In her first research nurse post, Ella found contracts were generally renewed and so she wasn’t worried about this in her current job.
In her first research nurse post, Ella found contracts were generally renewed and so she wasn’t worried about this in her current job.
Age at interview: 56
Sex: Female
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No because this happened in [research group/unit]. The contracts used to just be renewed. Unless you say you don't want to continue. Then they would renew without any problem, so I was used to. At first, when I came to the university, it seemed like taking a risk. Because you're told your contract is two years and then you are, 'so, what - after two years, that's the end of me and my work?' [laughs]. But then you realise that they will renew. Unless your work is really bad, then they terminate it. I don't think they would just cut you off like that [laughs].
Mm. So you're not worried about it any more?
Yeah, I don't-, I don't get anxious about it.
Many said their fixed-term contracts were eventually made into permanent ones. Jisha thinks her Trust’s move to permanent contracts for research nurses had “made a big difference” to staff retention and attracting applicants to job advertisements. However, this change was seen as unlikely in some settings. Graham explained that there were very few permanent research paramedic posts “because of the way the ambulance services are funded”.
Other people had research delivery posts with permanent contracts. Libby felt “lucky” to have this and that it was “quite forward thinking” of her employer to recognise that research staff would always be in demand: ““if it dries up over here, we’ll use you over there”. This reflected, as Alison described, the fact that different employers allocated funding to staff in various ways, depending on whether they were seen as being “study specific” posts or as a workforce “pool”.
Jo started on a fixed-term contract which became permanent about six months in. It was a concern initially, as was dropping banding.
Jo started on a fixed-term contract which became permanent about six months in. It was a concern initially, as was dropping banding.
Age at interview: 49
Sex: Female
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Yeah well I was, there was, you know, issues of concern around that but I thought well, you know, sometimes when you’ve gotta make a change it’s in all areas of nursing really it’s very difficult for nurses to swap around and not lose their banding which is, which is a problem in the whole of the profession really. Because if you do want to try something new you have to, you’re almost expected to drop a band and you know, and it’s not always, we’ve all got our bills to pay and mortgages haven’t we, so that’s, you know, I was a little bit. But I did it and you know, it all worked out fine.
Contract renewals was a source of anxiety for research NMAHPs, but often also for their team leaders/managers too. Several of the research NMAHPs in team leadership roles spoke about fears around funding cuts to research activity and workforce budgets. Helen said, “It’s quite a tense time… because you can’t put your hand on your heart and say, “Yes, we will make it a permanent contract,” but you really hope you can”. However, Karen felt it was better for newly-qualified physiotherapists be on a fixed-term contract of about one year as she felt it was risky for them to stay in research for too long without building up their clinical (non-research) experience.
Part-time contracts
Some people had part-time hours, either because this was their preference or because the post was only available with these terms. For those who wanted to also have a separate clinical non-research job part-time, this could work well; for others, being employed only part-time was a concern. Some found there were contractual barriers to combining a part-time research job with a part-time clinical non-research job. When Sarah tried to arrange to work clinically one-day a week, she found they “couldn’t commit to one day a week long-term, even though every single day there’s bank shifts that go out”. Osi started on a fixed-term contract with part-time hours but, “within the month”, it was changed to full-time hours.
Abi had often taken on part-time clinical jobs to make up full-time employment. It was a challenge to juggle and adjust between them.
Abi had often taken on part-time clinical jobs to make up full-time employment. It was a challenge to juggle and adjust between them.
Age at interview: 37
Sex: Female
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So oftentimes, the thing about research roles, which I’ve done for the most part is that they’re on fixed term contracts, so a certain amount of money comes out and you’re employed either part-time or full-time for X amount of months. And so there have been times when I’ve worked on a speech therapy bank and a speech therapy service as well, and so I’d be doing two or three days a week in clinical practice with children with speech and language therapy needs, and then two days a week on a research on a research role.
And it’s, yeah it was very hard, it was, it was difficult juggling the demands of that I think they’re slightly different mind sets, and I think regardless of whether it was two different roles I think having two different work places to, to juggle can, well it is, it’s a challenging thing ‘cause everyone has their own set of rules and policies and familiarity and dynamic and systems that you need to be familiar with to just do the day-to-day things. And in the role, in the clinical role that I was doing I was a speech therapist visiting a number of schools, and so I, then within that role further I would need to develop relationships with each individual school and things. So, there was, there was quite a lot of settings and situations to get comfortable with and understand.
Layla had wanted to work clinical part-time alongside her research job, but there were restrictions imposed by the hospital which prevented it.
Layla had wanted to work clinical part-time alongside her research job, but there were restrictions imposed by the hospital which prevented it.
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The only barrier I had initially was- because I took the job, I took the job- it was a part-time position. So what I wanted to do was carry on working part-time as well for the hospital. But it was the hospital that has this barrier, that they have a minimum requirement of- what was it? I had to work two shifts a week. Whereas-, 24 hours a week, minimum requirement. Which, with the research, would have taken me to over full-time. So I had to quit that. Like so I had to quit that job and then go on the bank, and just work-. Which, so that was a barrier. Which seemed crazy because they're desperate for midwives. And yet they make- they had an experienced midwife who could have worked one day a week. You know, 12 hour day. And now, yeah, but now it's actually resulted in me just going to research full-time, and just doing the odd bank shift here or there, so. It wasn't a barrier from the research side, it was a barrier from the clinical side.
Working hours
For many, the appeal of research delivery jobs had been changes in working hours. Research NMAHP jobs were usually based on core ‘social hours’ of the weekday (i.e. 8/9am-4/5/6pm Monday to Friday, or within this if part-time). Some people directly compared this to their previous working hours in a clinical non-research role, which usually included shifts on evenings/nights, weekends and bank holidays. Ginny found working clinically as a midwife “exhausting and a really, really, really hard job… one of the reasons I wanted to move was to get out of that environment”. Louise described herself as “a morning person” and much preferred the work hour pattern in her research role compared to night shifts. Louise, Christine and Jo commented that shifts (especially nights) became more difficult “as you get older”. Since stopping shift work, Laura Y found “the quality of my life has improved so much. I can sleep properly now”. Those with children often commented that this arrangement was more family-friendly overall.
When Barbara took a post as a research midwife, the length of contract was a worry. However, moving away from shifts gave her more family time. She also took on a part-time commercial research job to boost her income.
When Barbara took a post as a research midwife, the length of contract was a worry. However, moving away from shifts gave her more family time. She also took on a part-time commercial research job to boost her income.
Age at interview: 64
Sex: Female
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And that initially that was a three year contract. So that felt like reasonable security. I think my children were maybe getting a little bit older. My husband had quite a good job at the moment. His, his work history has been on again off again and a bit erratic, a little bit research based himself. So it, it was quite a big deal for me to upset the apple cart and have somebody not on an absolutely steady income. But I felt it was worth it. And worth it for the lifestyle change and worth, worth it for the degree of self, of control that I was actually getting over my job.
No, well, I didn't have shift work any more. That was the first one. Because they're a lot of rewards to do with a, a nursing career and looking after people but the giving up of a lot of free time, weekend time, evening time, family time, you know, I wasn't there a lot for my own kids. And as a midwife, it was kind of interesting to me that we were all about helping women adjust to focusing their being [laughs] their lives and everything they did on this new member of their family and in order to do that, I had to just kind of ignore my own, at home. And sometimes that balance seemed a bit unfair and, yeah, not right.
So partly, it was largely that because I did actually take a financial hit by going to a, you know, a full time contract but without the out of hours. I, what I ended up doing is picking up a little bit of part time work.
Nicky’s move into research meant daytime hours and having bank holidays off. This worked well for her with a young family during term-time, but proved trickier in the school holidays.
Nicky’s move into research meant daytime hours and having bank holidays off. This worked well for her with a young family during term-time, but proved trickier in the school holidays.
Age at interview: 52
Sex: Female
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Yeah so well because previous to this I was working on evenings in district nursing, so I was doing six till, six till midnight, but only two evenings a week. So, I did one day, cos I was managing that team, I did two evenings but then I also did one day, I sort of had an admin day during the day. So yeah, it was, it was quite a change. So, then I went from that to, and then when I first started on the research I did, I only did 18 hours, so I managed to fit that, more or less, around school hours. But then of course, because I’d always worked evenings, I’d never had to worry about school holidays before for my children because they, you know, I’d always been working in the evenings. So of course, then I was working in the day, then I had that sort of in the holidays to manage. But I mean now my children are old enough I don’t have to worry about things, you know, they’re still at home but they’re older so [laughs] so I don’t have to worry. But yeah, but in some ways it’s nice working, one of the things that was particularly nice was when I worked evenings, you know, we still had to cover all the sort of bank holidays and Christmas, and all that sort of thing. And I have to say it was very nice when I, and I still appreciate it every Christmas when I don’t have to work Christmas in this job [laughs]. And I have to say that is a big treat to know that I can have Christmas off every year with my children.
Laura Y liked that she can take breaks and have lunch now she is working as a research nurse. This was not the case when she was ward-based.
Laura Y liked that she can take breaks and have lunch now she is working as a research nurse. This was not the case when she was ward-based.
Age at interview: 39
Sex: Female
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And the same is for breaks. For example, now I always get to get my lunch or if I want to drink a cup of tea, I can have a cup of tea. Whereas before quite often we would just miss breaks and it was 12-hour shifts and, yeah, that’s quite a long shift.
Or you don’t have time to go to the loo. For example, is that now I get a chance whenever and if I need to go to the loo, I can go to the loo [laughs].
Yeh, yeh.
To me, this is amazing.
However, a few people found that there were aspects of working shifts that they missed. This included the extra income from working unsociable hours, the camaraderie of some teams/roles and easier parking or eligibility for parking permits at work when employed for unsociable hours. Imogen explained, “I lost a lot of money, but it has given me a lot more consistency in my work-life balance”. Osi had quite liked the changing shift patterns from week-to-week, which she no longer had.
Other people had not worked shifts previously. Rachel X had been a community midwife, and her hours when she moved into research were fairly similar. As a radiographer by background, Sanjos’ hours stayed almost the same – except he was no longer on-call for weekends.
Paul somewhat missed the variety of shift patterns from his previous nursing job. His research job hours also caused problems with finding parking; going into work slightly earlier helped.
Paul somewhat missed the variety of shift patterns from his previous nursing job. His research job hours also caused problems with finding parking; going into work slightly earlier helped.
Age at interview: 47
Sex: Male
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It was lovely for about four months but now you have two days to do everything. So, you have to do all your cleaning, all your washing, all your shopping on a Saturday. On a Sunday you’re getting ready to come back to work on a Monday. So, I do miss, I never thought I would say it, miss working shifts. I don’t miss nights at all, they can be gone. But I do miss 2 o’clock finish where I could go home, chill out, cup of tea, feet up, watch a little bit of crummy television. Have a bit of a nap, where now, and it’s very, very tiring, it is, I’m like most nights I am in bed by ten, cos I’m up at six. I only live well I live about, it’s about 25 miles away, so it’s about 25, 30 minutes away. And it’s not a bad commute, but parking is a nightmare, you don’t get parking privileges because you work nine till five, so that’s very, very difficult. I don’t have a, a very good bus route that would get me in for the times that I need to do cos I live in a, in a little country village now, so there was all that to look at, so what I do now is I arrive at work about quarter to eight every day regardless of whether I start at eight or nine.
And I find that, I can go and have a coffee, just chill out, have a hello to whoever’s around, and then from nine o’clock I’m ready for my day. When I first started I was looking 40 minutes for parking, you were stressed out before you’d even started work and it’s not a good way to be going in. It was new, it was all fresh and it was a little bit scary, but I was very, very anxious. So, parking is a very, something to be aware of. I think that’s in any hospital that I’ve worked in, parking has always been difficult.
Despite the appeal of set sociable hours in many research delivery jobs, this was not always the case in reality. Some research NMAHPs occasionally worked evenings and weekends; although, as Laura Y explained, extra hours could usually be taken off another time (sometimes at time and a half). Michael recalled staying late for studies which involved long observation periods. There were a few research NMAHPs or their teams where working on weekends or late shifts was part of the role. Imogen said that Band 6 research nurses in her team worked 12-hour shifts, up to midnight, six days a week; this was seen as necessary in her area of emergency medicine as they would otherwise miss a lot of potential participants.
In general, many people felt the flexibility in research was a major asset. James liked that “we can come in a bit earlier, stay a bit later” and vice versa. Again, for those with children, this was important. Tabitha found that, if her baby was poorly and she couldn’t come into work, “without question, they’ll give it. Whereas if I were a clinical midwife that just wouldn’t happen at all”. Many people also emphasised that flexible working could be beneficial to research too; as Sarah phrased it, to help meet “the needs of the service”.
Helen’s team worked flexibly to recruit patients from waiting list initiative clinics which were often outside of their core working hours.
Helen’s team worked flexibly to recruit patients from waiting list initiative clinics which were often outside of their core working hours.
Age at interview: 53
Sex: Female
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Shift patterns, I have core hours so I, for my team so anywhere between 8 in the morning and 6 o’clock in the evening and I think we’re very, very fortunate in the fact that our hours are quite flexible. And I think it’s quite a tough world out there on the wards and in other departments and we are, we are quite fortunate with regards to hours and the level of flexibility but on the back of that then if staff need to stay late there is an expectation that they would, you know, if they can they will stay late because, you know, what we’re finding because clinics are so busy at the moment you’ve got lots of waiting list initiative clinics so some of the clinics start at 8 in the morning so we’ve gotta cover those clinics, some clinics go on until 7, 8 at night, we have weekend clinics so where possible if we’re available, we’ll-, none of us are, our contracts are all Monday to Friday but if we have to come in at weekends and people can cover it then they will and then they just, we don’t have the money to pay for them but what we do is give them time and half back. So yeah, it and I’ve sort of started to warn the staff that things will change, that we will, that, you know, when we develop as a team further and have more funding then because in many ways a lot of patients are missing out, you know, if they’re coming in after 6 o’clock they’re not, might not be offered those emergency studies that may benefit them.
Which is a shame.
Nikki felt the flexibility in her research physiotherapy job was two-way. She sometimes worked hours outside her usual ones but could take time off if she needed to.
Nikki felt the flexibility in her research physiotherapy job was two-way. She sometimes worked hours outside her usual ones but could take time off if she needed to.
Age at interview: 34
Sex: Female
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And then I suppose that's one of the appeals of research, isn't it, is that there is the certain flexibility that you get, in that environment which I would never have got in, in physio. And things like, I don't know, having to, you know. Hospital appointments or doctors appointments, that kind of thing, it's much easier to flex around that. Whereas when I was physioing, there was no way I'd be able to sort of - I'd have to take annual leave to go to sort of appointments, or whatever.
So, there was that sort of side of things. Which was quite a, quite a big plus. Though I do feel like research will sort of tend to move in the direction of being more 24/7. And I don't, I can't foresee a time where we'll be asked to do night shifts or anything like that, but even now they're starting to trial weekend working. And occasionally we are expected - or not expected, but a study will demand that we do need to sort of skew our hours a little bit. And you know, that's fine. I, you know, I don't have any problem with doing a ten to six shift, or you know, staying later when we need to or whatever. So I think- And I think probably that's a right, you know, the right thing to do, in terms of flexibility does need to go both ways, doesn't it. That as an employee, if you're asking if you can flex your time to sort of accommodate sort of your life stuff, then perhaps it's right that it's the other way round as well. And that you know, equally you can be flexible to cover the studies when they need to be covered, and yeah. So I think it's probably a changing, changing environment, in terms of research. We'll no longer be the sort of you know, eight to four sort of pattern, and no extra hours.
James preferred the working arrangements in research and it was exciting to be involved in this activity at his Trust.
James preferred the working arrangements in research and it was exciting to be involved in this activity at his Trust.
Age at interview: 39
Sex: Male
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Well, one appeal was the flexible working that it offers. You know, I'm really fortunate, I have a great boss who is quite flexible. As long as we're working approximately between nine and four, we can come in a bit earlier, stay a bit later. We don't have to work evenings, nights, weekends, if we don't want to. It's not part of our job description to do that. Which is nice. Having a young family, it's nice to then have, have that time to be involved with what they're doing outside of work. Whereas shift work, you know, you miss lots of things.
And research was quite new to our Trust at that time as well, so it was- It was appealing to be involved in something new, that looked as though it was going, it was going somewhere, and it was going to make a difference.
Some people found the boundaries between work and home blurred in other ways too. Osi didn’t work weekends but was sometimes contacted by colleagues for guidance on eligible patients they had come across. Some found it was also very easy to work over their allotted hours, especially when the work required travel (e.g. to do home visits with study participants). Nicky worked part-time but often worked from home on her days ‘off’ as well: “things like keeping an eye on emails or people will ring me”. Sian and Simona found that calling participants in the evening worked because they were more likely to be available then.
NMAHP researchers
Those who led their own research studies, including as part of academic qualifications or skills development internships, also talked about their contract arrangements and working hours. For example, Rachel Y started as a researcher in radiotherapy on a contract that was reviewed every few months for first two years; this was “quite scary” and she didn’t like “having to prove myself every three months”. Karen emphasised that it was her choice to work long weeks and weekends in order to maintain both a clinical and research career in physiotherapy.
Mary worked four days a week in research at a university and one day a week as a health visitor. She liked the combination and felt it benefitted her research.
Mary worked four days a week in research at a university and one day a week as a health visitor. She liked the combination and felt it benefitted her research.
Age at interview: 58
Sex: Female
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I mean I really like the combination, I like for a personal point of view I like the variety it gives me. I really, I mean I worked full time, I was a health visitor first then I moved into research, and was in research full time, and then I went back into practice about six years ago, because I’d really personally missed the clinical element. I like the face to face work, working with clients, women and babies mainly. So it was very much, and I also realised I was getting to a point, I’d been out of health visiting for ten years, so it was now or never. If I was going to go back I had to do it now otherwise I wouldn’t have had the confidence, and I’d also have lost my registration I think. So, I also thought that, you know, professionally it probably would enhance both roles, research role would benefit from me being a clinician, and the clinical role would benefit from my research knowledge. Yes, I think, I mean it, that is the case, I think the research benefit’s more than the clinical practice. The research benefit’s because I understand the world of clinicians, so I know how to encourage them to participate into research, I know what they’re kind of requirements are, I know what the constraints are. As a clinician it’s very useful for me individually to be able to access research very quickly, I know exactly where to go, what’s available, how to find it.
Footnotes
*The people interviewed for this website were mostly research NMAHPs (i.e. those employed in a research delivery role). However, we also interviewed some NMAHP researchers (i.e. those leading research as independent researchers). The latter group included people who were undertaking or had completed academic research qualifications, such as PhDs, and many had previously been in (or continued to also be in) research delivery roles. For more information about the distinctions between these roles and the sample of NMAHPs interviewed for this project, please see the Introduction section.
*Many research NMAHPs and NMAHP researchers felt strongly that they continued to be clinical within their research roles. As such, the wording of ‘research’ NMAHPs/staff and ‘clinical’ NMAHPs/staff can be problematic for implying that research is not also clinical activity. Where the wording ‘clinical staff’ is used on the website, we mean for this refer to non-research clinical staff (i.e. those who are not currently employed to carry out research or enrolled to pursue research through an academic qualification).
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