CRP Bulletin - April 2024
Introduction - CRP Leaders Strategic Summit 26th-27th March 2024
A Clinical Research Practitioners (CRPs) Leaders Strategic Summit was held in Birmingham over 26th and 27th March, 2024. The event programme, designed with and presented by CRP Leaders, was hosted jointly by NIHR and the Academy for Healthcare Science with support from UKRD and R&D Forum senior colleagues. The event brought together senior CRPs to develop their own vision for leadership to support their growing community of practice, and to examine (i) the position of CRPs as an emerging profession in the system, (ii) their part in the healthcare science family of professions, and (iii) first steps towards formation of a professional body for CRPs. The event was supported by Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England as Head of Healthcare Science Professions, Professor Dame Sue Hill, who attended as distinguished guest speaker.
Thank you to LCRN Chief Operating Officers for your support of CRPs from your region to bring their leadership contribution forward through engaging with the programme of this event, the outcomes from which will be instrumental in serving the DHSC commitment to establish a Sustainable and Supported Research Workforce as part of the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery vision.
Poster - Atiqa Miah.pdfAtiqa Miah's poster.
Poster - Maxine Berry.pdfMaxine Berry's poster.
Posters
CRPs were asked to submit some posters as part of the pre work for the leadership development session that was held during the summit.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a poster, If you didn't get a chance to see all the posters on the day or were not able to attend the conference all the posters are available to view.
Poster - Rhian Bull.pdfRhian Bull's poster.
Kirsty Rogers's poster.
New workstreams to support ongoing development for CRPs
At the Strategic Summit event held in Birmingham on 26th and 27th March, CRP Leaders agreed to take forward new work streams that include taking first steps towards establishing a professional body for CRPs and supporting development of the CRP Directory as part of this. An update on how the approach to establishing a CRP Professional Body is to be developed will be shared in the next issue of the CRP Bulletin, which will be published in June.
Building a better understanding of the CRP role across the system remains key, and an identified position for CRPs within the Healthcare Science family of professions will be part of this. Alongside this, the development of Occupational and Apprenticeship Standards for CRP roles is ongoing, which will form the basis of standardised education and training for CRPs in the future, and a foundation for career pathways. These themes remain significant commitments for the NIHR, working in partnership with the AHCS, NHS England and R&D Leaders, and crucially remain supported by CRP Engagement Leads based in your region.
If you have any questions, please contact janice.paterson@nihr.ac.uk
Link to Slide Summary from the CRP Leaders Strategic Summit, 2024
FAQ
Q) I have recently joined the Clinical Research Practitioner Directory, what are the next steps?
A. The next steps from joining the Clinical Research Practitioner Directory is to apply for registration.
The entry criteria for the Register is as follows:
Be listed on the CRP Directory.
Hold an undergraduate degree or have a pass through the Gateway: Any degree is accepted (If the degree was awarded overseas, a UK ENIC is required). Alternatively, the applicant needs to have a pass through the Experienced Practitioner Gateway within a 6-month period.
Hold a current Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certificate (Dated within the last 3 years).
Work in a Clinical Research Practitioner role at the practitioner level for a minimum of one year.
What questions do you need an answer to?
Click here to share your questions with the NIHR team for future FAQ publication
Experienced Practitioner Gateway
Please see below for information regarding the upcoming Gateway panels, this information only applies if you are undertaking route two:
Tuesday 4th June 2024
Thursday 5th September 2024
Friday 31st January 2025
* Please note that these dates may change depending on demand for the Gateway.
For an application to be sent to panel, the applicant would need to fulfil entry requirements fully and submit their portfolio no later than 5 weeks prior to the upcoming panel date (see guidance for criteria). For instance, if you would like your application to be considered at the June panel, please submit your application no later than 20th April 2024.
Once the panel has taken place, you will hear from us within 28 days. If you receive an outcome two, you will have 28 days to amend your portfolio and resubmit. The panel with review your resubmitted application, and if passed, we will advise you.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
In this month's bulletin, we will be sharing the common pitfalls when submitting an application for the Experienced Practitioner Gateway.
In previous bulletins, we have shared common Register application pitfalls, these can be accessed here.
Please see the Gateway pitfalls below:
Entry Criteria: The entry criteria for the Gateway is to have at least three years working at the level of practitioner, the guidance can be found here. We would encourage you to discuss your intention register with your current line manager to understand if you hold the relevant experience prior to submitting your application.
If you are unsure whether you hold the relevant research experience to submit an application, please email crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
Your Current Work: Within this section of the Eligibility Form, many CRP's do not cover all the required information therefore, their application is returned to them to make the required changes. Within this section, you need to provide a description (not bullet pointed) of your duties and responsibilities as a Clinical Research Practitioner and how you can demonstrate that you are working at the level of practitioner. In addition, within this section, please provide a brief outline of how you have developed yourself at this practitioner level.
This information cannot be copied and pasted from your job description, and you need to mention all the above information within the word count provided. We would also encourage you to review Appendix 1 of the Eligibility Form which contains a list of the Clinical Research Practitioner duties as a description of how you meet these need to be covered within this section.
Other Learning: The most common pitfall for Gateway applications is when the 'Other Learning' hasn’t been noted down in a chronological order. Therefore, please make sure this is the case and confirm that your mandatory and statutory training is up to date.
Webinars
Develop your strategic awareness
Find out how the courage to act with strategic awareness will help you to seize opportunities and navigate challenges with agility at our webinar on 23 May. Attend to uncover mindsets to support your decision making, thinking and behaviour. Register to the webinar.
Create a successful hybrid working community
Learn how to create a hybrid working community that works for you based on the needs of your role, team and life outside work. Attend our webinar on 9 July to explore how to build connections between people and teams. Register to the webinar.
Journey to a CRP - Sharanjit Budwal
My research journey started in March 2013. I joined the Biomedical Research Centre as a clinical research assistant. During this time, I worked on the BRICCS (Biomedical Research Informatics Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences) project which recruited patients with cardiovascular diseases.
During my time working as a CRA in Cardiology, I felt the role was not recognised enough to understand what it involved and how much contribution we brought to research. It was the process of screening for patients with cardiovascular diseases, recruiting patients, collecting samples and valid data. It was challenging in terms of actually being able to recruit as there are many barriers that can affect recruitment. These can be lack of knowledge, time, communication challenges and cost. I remember during recruitment stage, some patients would ask me if I was a nurse and myanswer would be no. This was the time I used to think, my role is unheard of and how can I progress!
I continued to learn, gain more knowledge and skills to take my role into another area away from Cardiology. In May 2017, I joined the Renal Research Unit at the Leicester General as a Clinical Research Practitioner. This is a very busy team that conducted many renal studies predominantly commercial trials. Whilst it was a little daunting for me when I joined, I was also excited to develop further and be more recognised as a CRP.
I started to have a better understanding of renal conditions, different study Protocols and different study designs. I was eventually confident enough to start leading research projects independently. I continued to run a variety of studies and putting strategies in place to reach my recruitment targets. The most important skills to have in research are communication, team work, initiative and good organisational skills.
Over the years, I still felt there wasn’t enough recognition of the CRP role and how we play an important part in delivery of research. In 2023, I became aware of a platform launched by The Academy of Healthcare Sciences that was aimed at the development of CRP’s.
Having had 10 years’ experience in research, I applied for the CRP gateway. This was an opportunity for me to provide evidence of my career. This was reviewed and approved by the panel and I was now ready to apply for the CRP register. I created a portfolio that showed my research experience over the years and met standards that are essential for me to perform my role. My application was successfully approved and I felt great!
I am now a fully registered Clinical Research Practitioner and I feel more confident for the future and my development. I feel being accredited will now open more doors for me.
