11 November 2024

Nurses and midwives are there for patients at every stage of the healthcare journey. For healthcare organisations to deliver evidence-based care that leads to better outcomes and an improved experience for patients, this workforce needs to be at the forefront of research.

The Chief Nurses Office at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust commissioned 'A Centre of Research for Nurses and Midwives' (ACORN) to empower nurses and midwives to become leaders in research. The centre offers advice, support, and has even run internships to help nurses and midwives develop research proposals and lead on research projects. KHP News caught up with some of the nurses and midwives who completed an ACORN internship to find out more about their research and how they found the experience. 

Emilie Wicks researches a father’s transition to parenthood 

At the 11-year stage of my midwifery career I applied to the internship for a new challenge, and because the academic aspect of the programme excited the critical thinking side of my brain. I initially thought the internship would bolster my chances of becoming a midwifery lecturer - but the course led me to new career pathway that I could never have expected.   

 My chosen subject was fathers’ experiences of the transition to parenthood, within the context of the perinatal education programme I teach called ‘Baby Steps’. The programme is commissioned by the NSPCC and delivered by the NHS and Lambeth local authority. I chose this topic because from working closely with fathers and partners I started to appreciate and become curious about how the experience is for them, during this life event of becoming a parent.  

I developed invaluable skills, from learning how to develop a research question to literature searching and critical analysis. I also conducted a Patient and Public Involvement Activity (PPIE) activity with fathers from ‘Baby Steps’ and shadowed research delivery midwives and research assistants on the ground. All these things helped me understand the practicalities and challenges of conducting research. 

This internship wasn't just about getting involved in research, it was about building the confidence to embark on a clinical academic career pathway. The experience spurred me to apply for a NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF), something I never thought would have been an option for me as someone without a Master’s’ qualification and little previous experience of research.  

Diana Osmund Chan asks 'could holistic care be improved for children with rare diseases?' 

I have been a research nurse for nine years and applied to the ACORN internship to further develop the clinical research aspect of my career, with the view to completing a Master’s and potentially a PhD. 

In my role I look after children with rare diseases, particularly children with skeletal dysplasias, so for my research I chose to focus on Paediatric Genetics. In clinical trials quality of life questionnaires are used to evaluate the impact of treatment on children and their caregivers. These questionnaires provide a wealth of psychosocial information, so I wanted to find out if they could be used in clinical practice to help health care providers provide more holistic care for families.  

This internship gave me the foundation to progress an application for funding for my MSc. I have always had an interest in how the psychosocial aspects of the conditions impact patients and their families and wanted to know what more could be done to support them. The ACORN internship has helped me work towards delivering holistic care to the families and patients with skeletal dysplasias.  

Hilary Thompson aims to help women avoid risks in pregnancy 

I applied for the ACORN internship to expand my knowledge surrounding clinical research and to develop professionally. I felt the programme may help me to pursue further academic study by creating a network of opportunities to engage with experts who may be able to advise and guide me further. 

For my research proposal I explored women’s perceptions of gestational weight gain and their experiences of the ante-natal information and support given during pregnancy. I was interested in this topic because obesity rates are rising, and women are coming into pregnancy with a higher BMI. Although weight gain is inevitable during pregnancy, having a higher BMI prior to becoming pregnant is associated with an increased risk of gestational weight gain and poorer pregnancy outcomes. Whilst limiting excessive weight gain helps to reduce these risks, it remains unclear how best to deliver services due to the lack of current published guidance. 

Through my research I discovered women do not receive enough evidenced based advice and are not fully aware of the risks that being overweight/obese has on their pregnancy. The literature demonstrated further work needs to be undertaken to improve outcomes. I found completing the competencies particularly insightful because they increased my understanding surrounding the vision for maternity and neonatal services.  

Upon completion of the internship, I became the Lead Research Midwife for Insight-2, a longitudinal study, recruiting woman ante-natally with a higher risk of pregnancy complications. The research aims to explore factors that contribute to the disease process and impact fetal wellbeing and future health. Through the ACORN internship, I gained a stronger understanding of clinical research which will support my clinical growth and ability to deliver in my role.