Charting new paths: promoting research as a career option for student nurses

Research plays a crucial role in advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes. However, the path to a research career can be overlooked by nursing students who traditionally focus on clinical practice. 

The new package on NIHR Learn aimed at undergraduate nurses and midwives NIHR Pre-Registration Nursing & Midwifery Research Delivery Awareness Programme helps to address this. Following its release, the University of Portsmouth contacted our Education and Training team to find out what other support we could provide to help raise awareness of research as an option when considering their careers.

So to help spread the research message, we took some of the core CRN Wessex team and a mental health nurse from Southern Health to attend the Year 2 Simulated Practice-Based Learning week.

Here’s what was said about it:

Kerry Gunner - Research Nurse, CRN Wessex

“Chantelle (Moorbey) and I came away feeling very positive about it based on the engagement from the audience and the questions asked. Between us all we were definitely able to demonstrate the importance of research in their eventual 'clinical' role and potentially change the way they may have previously perceived it. It was a great opportunity to show how a nursing career pathway can lead into a rewarding research role which remains clinical and can contribute towards some very positive and life-changing moments for participants. We had some great questions, including whether going into research is an option upon qualifying. I don't think this would have been a question asked when I was doing my nursing qualification 20 years ago!”

Joe Salmon - Mental Health Research Nurse, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

“I really enjoyed doing this and would be more than happy to do more in the future. It was great seeing the other presentations too, they were very informative and the students seemed very engaged, and as Kerry mentioned, it was great to show them what research could look like in their career.”

Mark Robinson - Senior Teaching Fellow, University of Portsmouth

“I just wanted to say a very big thank you to you and your team for the fantastic seminars that they created for the students. There has been some great feedback from the students.  In particular, several students were already interested in this area and are now hoping to arrange spoke days with research teams in areas where they will be on placement. Others had never considered being involved in research and have had their eyes opened and are now considering this as a career option.  Overall, I think the teams really did get the purpose of the research team across to the students and the impact that they have.

 A big, big thank you again and I most definitely would like to run a session again for the next group of Year 2 nursing students.”

 
It’s important to support and encourage student nurses to explore the exciting and impactful world of research. Thank you to Robbie and the team at University of Portsmouth for giving us the opportunity to spread the research word. We look forward to opportunities to support students in the future.