Physiotherapist Alec Roberts says his internship with the Centre for Clinical and Care Research has given him the skills and confidence to pursue research as part of his career.
As a Physiotherapist who has enjoyed reading research to develop my clinical skills, experiencing the research process has been something I have wanted to explore for a while. Finding opportunities to do so has previously been challenging, but the CCR internship has opened doors for me as a clinician into the research world. The flexibility of the internship suited me perfectly, as it gave me the time to consider the areas I wanted to focus my development and seek relevant opportunities.
During the internship, I gained experience and understanding of the whole research pathway, from the ideation of a research question through to research delivery and preparation for publication. I achieved this from working with established clinical academics, research delivery teams within the NCA and research scientists attached to universities.
Networking opportunities
With my area of research being particularly niche, the internship gave me time to explore networking opportunities with likeminded clinicians and researchers in the North West and beyond. On one occasion, I had the opportunity to visit London and observe scientists within the Centre for Vestibular Neurology.
As well as experience, I also had the chance to develop my own skills in literature searches, critical appraisal and academic writing. I developed a case study and poster which I presented at a national special interest conference, and additionally I completed a general literature review following which I was able to generate a research question. This led to me being supported to develop an application for funding, which although not successful on this occasion, gave me the experience of how to develop applications for future funding opportunities.
Throughout the internship, I attended additional webinars and study days organised by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which have been very helpful in beginning to set out my future career aims within the research world.
The overall experience has been very positive and whilst I discovered that the research and clinical worlds are very different, it is not as scary as one would think! I am planning to continue to pursue research as part of my career and it is exciting to think about where things may lead in the future.