Nurses, midwives & allied health professionals in research

Sian: I was used to the environment, being with patients of the same ilk, staff and that sort of thing. So it was really lovely just to have that sort of transition over from the same place to the same place, but doing something completely different with a whole new language, you know? So I can remember my first, study and they would come out with lots of acronyms. And when I started nursing, we sort of had lots of acronyms and I'd be like I don't understand it. And research was start -, like starting a new job, like completely like starting nursing, you know,  totally new language, but but great.

Julie: So I mean, we're working, you know, in patient -, with patients who unfortunately, ten years ago may have died. And so we're making improvements all the time. And research is a is a core part of that. And I mean, it's been shown, hasn't it, that if a trust is research active even if the patients themselves aren’t in a study that you get better outcomes. Patients anywhere in that hospital will get better outcomes.

Michael: And I think as a nurse, no matter where you are, no matter what ward you're on or whether you're a research nurse or a nurse, you're primarily the patient's advocate. You're there to look at the psychosocial holistic care. How are you managing with life? And if that's becoming compromised, it's your job, I feel, to bring up that conversation of ‘how is your quality of life, is this something you want to continue?’

Graham: Being able to do a bit of both gives you a relief, you know, when you you've had a bad day clinically you've then got a research day the next day, which gives you a chance to recover when you've had your head buried in the books for a week and you can't see what you're doing and can't think straight to actually go out and get hands on with some patients and be able to deal with something on that side gives you a relief and a different way to think about it, and perhaps reinvigorate why you need to go back and do the learning. And I think the two complement each other, if it is a difficult juggling role.

Osi: The research midwives so they’re almost like just the everything, they’re the -, they usually know the protocol inside out.  They’re the ones that find the patients, keep the patients, approach the patients sometimes, and I think they kind of bring, they’re almost like the oil to the system. They make things like happen smoothly, although if it doesn't actually happen smoothly they kind of keep things going. And very good at bringing all the different specialties or things that need to, with the different departments together in order to actually complete it.