Background
This programme was developed to help provide opportunities for a cohort of nurses working in clinical practice across the UK to take steps along a pathway to develop the research elements of their roles and careers. This included both assisting those in clinical practice to develop and share research evidence and in creating direct opportunities for building clinical academic careers.
Design
This programme consisted of the following elements:
A seminar series aimed to help clinical nurses share and develop evidence on topics relevant to the SRA.
A scholarship programme created to provide opportunities for nurses working in clinical practice to complete work that can enhance their desire and ability to progress a clinical academic career.
A doctoral study programme designed to support those talented nurses already starting on a clinical academic route to progress along this pathway.
Key achievements
Seminar series – We held 16 seminar and workshop events (face-to-face and virtual following Covid-19) across all four countries of the UK. Notable events include:
1) Our contribution to two workshops across Scotland (online), considering the evidence relating to safe nurse staffing legislation
2) Participation in a ‘parity of esteem’ one-day seminar event in Northern Ireland where we provided input on evaluation methods to help clinical staff to develop robust assessment of the innovative work underway
3) We established and delivered four virtual seminar sessions for ANPs undertaking doctoral study. These provided the opportunity for us to help participants share learning and problem solving for common problems for ANPs undertaking doctoral study. This group is now well established and will continue beyond the SRA programme and will be jointly led by one of the SRA doctoral students
4) We disseminated and discussed some of the SRA missed care (workforce stream) work via a virtual platform seminar with colleagues in Wales linking into their national work on safe-staffing legislation.
Scholarship programme - We supported five scholars through the provision of time release and SRA mentorship. Three of these have been from England. All our England based scholars used the opportunity to complete preparatory work (produce publications, grant award applications etc.) to provide a platform for successful doctoral study application. All have now commenced doctoral studies. Three of these scholars have produced academic papers from the scholarship work. In Northern Ireland, we worked with RCN Northern Ireland and Ulster University to provide scholarships for two clinically based nurses, providing funding to help them to complete their MSc at Ulster University. One scholar had to withdraw through work pressure following Covid-19, the other successfully completed and we have subsequently supported them in the production of a briefing paper and an academic paper. Unfortunately, Covid-19 hit this programme hard and, despite best will and effort, our attempts to have scholars in Scotland and Wales were not successful.
Doctoral study – We originally envisaged that two clinically-based nurses would be supported (through fees and a stipend) to complete doctoral study. Our initial recruitment processes resulted in several high-quality applications and three doctoral students subsequently commenced, supported by SRA programme funding. Two were fully supported and one student received a fee only bursary. The two fully supported students will complete and submit their thesis by early 2023. Due to Covid-19 related leaves of absence, and part-time student status, the fees only student is currently about halfway through their doctoral programme and will continue to be supported by UoS PhD supervisors and SRA funding. This student has also taken an opportunity to be seconded to HEE for one day a week, assisted partly by her SRA doctoral study. We were able to link two other doctoral students, studying in areas related to our programmes, into this SRA doctoral cohort to aid shared learning experiences and the exchange of practical information.
Added value – In addition to the above, three members of our SRA team over the five years of the programme have been able to develop their own research careers. All registered nurses, they have been able to advance their project management skills, knowledge and outputs and concomitantly advance their research careers at a high pace, as demonstrated through their respective promotions. We are confident that this will continue to have an effect both for them personally, and for those around them, well beyond the formal completion of the SRA programme, with the potential for them to become nurse research leaders in the future.
Publications
Bailey, J. Robertson, S. Tod, A. King, R. (2021) Exploring Advanced Nursing Practice within stroke services, a scoping review. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing 17(Sup2), S8-S14. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjnn.2021.17.Sup2.S8
Bolton LE, Seymour J & Gardiner C (2022) Existential suffering in the day to day lives of those living with palliative care needs arising from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic integrative literature review. Palliative Medicine, 36(4), 567-580. https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/188883/
Tinkler, L. Roberson, S. Tod, A. (2022) Multi-professional perceptions of clinical research delivery and the Clinical Research Nurse role: a realist review. Journal of Research in Nursing 27(1-2): 9-29 https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871211068017
Gardiner, C., & Bolton, L. (2021). Role and support needs of nurses in delivering palliative and end of life care. Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain): 1987). 36(11): 61-65
Adams, R., Ryan, T., Wood, E. 2021. Understanding the factors that affect retention within the mental health nursing workforce: a systematic review and thematic synthesis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 30(6), pp.1476-1497.doi.org/10.1111/inm.12904
Scullion, C. Robertson, S. (2023) Fit for purpose: An evaluation of safeguarding children supervision in Northern Ireland. Community Practitioner. Jan/Feb, 40-43
Tinkler, L., Robertson, S., Tod, A. (2025) Exploring resistance and avoidance behaviours at the research delivery, clinical practice interface: Group Concept Mapping through a Critical Realist Lens. Journal of Research in Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871241311536