Increasing Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Research Activity.
Increasing Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Research Activity to Improve Patient Care and Outcome
I would like to warmly thank The Florence Nightingale Foundation and The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for their kind sponsorship and support during this important leadership journey. Particular thanks, to Helen Lamont and Professor Elizabeth Robb. I would also like to thank Brian Sanderson for his valued mentorship, advice, support and encouragement to keep striving and learning. Last but not least, Sue Neville for her excellent organisation and communication skills and Sue Machen for the valuable training opportunity suggestions.
The Florence Nightingale Foundation and Burdett Trust scholarship provided an extremely valuable and unique personal and professional development opportunity. The patient care improvement project during the Scholarship focused on the need to increase nurse led research activity to improve patient care, choice and outcome. Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHP’s) can and do provide a valuable contribution to healthcare research activity. The current number of NMAHP Senior Clinical Academics is low. It is estimated that only 0.01% of the nursing and midwifery clinical workforce, compared to 5% in medicine are Clinical Academics. There is a need to grow the NMAHP Senior Clinical Academic workforce to further develop evidence based practice and maximise patient outcomes.
The scholarship provided excellent training opportunities to enhance personal leadership development which enabled one to appreciate and flex their personal leadership style to maximise influence and outcome. The main theme that threaded through this personal leadership journey was a need to increase impact and ability to influence within the local, National and International healthcare context.
The training undertaken was varied, greatly valued and included:
- Formal organisation change training.
- Formulation, delivery and impact of key message, as well as unitisation of voice and behaviour to influence others.
- Increased awareness of executive leadership styles within private sector organisations.
- Shadowing opportunities.
- International visit to China to establish sustainable collaborations and partnerships.
This work suggests three important recommendations, these include:
1) A need to develop and support the creation of a framework including case study templates to articulate and demonstrate improved patient outcomes through nurse led research activity. This will articulate and enhance the value and impact of the Nurse Researcher Clinical Academic.
2) A need to create a UK network of Clinical Professors and Senior Research Nurse Leads to enable the UK to benchmark the Nurse Researcher Clinical Academic workforce growth, monitor impact on improved patient care and outcomes and reduce duplication of research activity. The National Campaign promotes the growth of the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional clinical academic workforce from the current 0.01% to 0.1% by 2030.
3) A need to understand and learn from the Australian experience. They have a two decade history of introducing the role of Clinical Professors. However, these roles are currently under review. It is important to further understand the history, progression and impact to inform the UK direction.