New scheme aims to give boost to NMAHPPs’ research careers

The six successful PARC scheme candidates with Dr Louise Strickland (back row, second from right)

Six people have become the first OUH staff to take part in a new scheme to support nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, healthcare scientists, pharmacy staff and psychologist (NMAHPPs) in developing their career in research.

The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is funding the new Preparatory Award for a Research Career (PARC) Programme, which will cover salary costs for up to two months part-time to allow the six's roles to be back-filled.

During the course of the scheme, the six will continue a proportion of their clinical role.

The six successful applicants for the PARC scheme are:

• Lisa Vokes, Dietician
• Diana Yardley, Advanced Practitioner Nurse, in Children’s Diabetes
• Dr Kay McCallum, Consultant Nurse in Acute Oncology
• Matias Segovia, Ophthalmology
• Laura Taylor, Optometrist
• Dr Ravi Purohit, Orthoptist, Ophthalmology

"This is a really welcome initiative as it will allow NMAHPPs who are already on or considering the clinical academic pathway to get the support and impetus they need to move their careers onto the next step, while receiving personal and professional development to enhance their research portfolio,” said Dr Louise Strickland, Research Lead in OUH’s Surgery, Women's and Oncology Division.

Dr Sheera Sutherland, Research Lead in Medicine, Rehabilitation and Cardiac Division, added: "The BRC funding gives our successful candidates time for crucial research activities, which aren't always possible in a busy full-time clinical role. This can include developing funding applications, analysing data, building a network of key contacts, patient and public involvement and engagement or simply writing a paper."

The scheme aims to support the participants in putting together competitive applications for further funding opportunities. They will benefit from mentorship from experienced research leaders at OUH, peer support and workshops to develop essential research skills and an understanding of what is required to make a successful application for NIHR awards. They will also receive a training bursary.

One of the successful applicants is Dr Kay McCallum, Consultant Nurse in Acute Oncology. She has completed her PhD and runs a busy nurse-led clinical service: “For me this is an opportunity to concentrate on the next stage of my career. It's very difficult to find any time to concentrate on research, even when, as a consultant nurse, it's part of my job plan.

"We need research to move things forward for patient care and to develop ourselves. The Trust invested in me to do my PhD, so it's important that I do something with it. I am the first nurse in oncology to be doing this sort of clinical academic career, and there's no blueprint. Part of what I use this time for is to explain to colleagues and peers the value of research. Without investment in clinical people doing research, we're firefighting all the time. I don't want to find myself retired not having moved anything forward and not changed anything."

Kay intends to use her two months' funding to apply for an NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement award: "I've got a lot of this work done already, but it needs to be polished and without headspace you can't really work on that sort of thing."

Another person to receive the PARC funding is Laura Taylor, an optometrist whose research is looking at improving the suitability of vision tests for patients with inherited eye diseases taking part in gene therapy clinical trials. She has just been accepted to study for a PhD at City University of London.

"I'm at the point where I'm bringing everything together. I'm going to use some of the time from this funding to write a critical analysis report as part of my final submission. This funding will give me some time and some headspace to sit and do that," Laura explains.

"I will use the rest of the time to plan my next steps. I've got ideas for future research - it's about bringing those ideas together and developing a competitive application. But I need to do the PhD first."