IWF Blog Archive

Using the Integrated Workforce Framework to describe the Clinical Research Practitioner role - more insight from Deirdre

Deirdre Brooking

In this second blog from Deirdre she gives us insight into the role of a Clinical Research Practitioner and describes how she and her colleagues have used the IWF to describe capability and support opportunities for progression.

"Welcome back, I feel my priorities have shifted a little in the last 4 weeks. Unexpected absences and the resurrection of an old study have meant I have had to really re-prioritise my daily activities. The added pressure of submitting recruitment figures to the NIHR also had an effect on the team. It meant that last week the whole department worked hard pulling together to make sure our NIHR portfolio recruitment is as high as possible, this is very important to our team.

The Research Governance lead, Ufedo and I found ourselves battling to get the attention of our clinical colleagues at the end of a busy clinic to push through a plan to get this existing studies back on track, one specific study with our Foot & Ankle Team was top of our list. Our Foot & Ankle Consultant set about training the team on the use of an ankle goniometer so that we are all on-board and can maximise recruitment.

This is a classic example of how Research Practitioners are effectively Project Managers. As a lead practitioner I liaised with the clinical staff, clinic receptionist and the research team to support recruitment to this study. I’m pleased to say we managed to recruit 12 patients in one week.

Using the NIHR CRN Framework as a tool to decipher at which level each member of the team has been working to, it nicely illustrates how your role can expand beyond your remit at times. The Framework can be used identify progression and acknowledges an advancement to a higher level by nicely listing the components of our role. Sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time and seize an opportunity to enable advancement. The framework is a tool which can really help structure your career giving insight into how to progress.

My other studies continue and I’m pleased to announce that the target has been reached for the ASCAT study, now it’s just case of the harvesting of the bone marrow of our remaining patients and organising all the follow ups, which is no mean feat. And we’re looking forward to hearing more about the results to see if our patients had the added benefit of receiving a cutting edge treatment through research.

The new surgical rotation began this week. They have a tough job having to learn very fast, about not only the speciality but also participate in the research projects. I’m going along to the Foot & Ankle MDT this week to give a short presentation on the research being carried out within the team and also give a gentle reminder about GCP and the available refresher courses."

Deirdre Brooking is a Senior Clinical Research Practitioner at the Research and Innovation Centre, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in Middlesex.

October 2017

Previous Blogs:

Using the IWF to aid professional development - Deirdre Brookings

Using the IWF to review skill mix within a research team - Michele Eve