Rumbidzai Gore is a research nurse in NCA’s community research team. She’s blogged about her pioneering role and the difference her team aim to make in tackling inequalities.
I feel like I stumbled into research early into my career. My first job was at the Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit, doing admin and clerical work during the summer between Lower and Upper Sixth. I was intrigued by research but didn’t know how to have a career in it so I went to university to do my nursing degree.
During my second year of nursing, I was placed on the hospital’s Covid ward, and they were recruiting RECOVERY patients, so I spent time with the research nurses and saw the work they were doing on trials beyond Covid and knew then it was the career for me.
In my final year I opted into a research placement and began working on a weight loss randomised controlled trial in the community. I was offered a part time job as a research assistant and then, after qualifying, I worked on a renal inpatient unit in Fife alongside my research assistant position.
Inequalities and inequities
When I saw the job opening at NCA, I took the leap into working as a research nurse full time in the community research team because it would allow me to make a difference to how research is conducted. In doing research in the community, we’re able to reach groups that haven’t been involved in research very much and are working to help target inequalities and inequities in access to research and access to healthcare.
I’m really enjoying my role in the community research team so far and feel so lucky to be in a team that is so supportive and works really well together.
I enjoy doing community events and working to build strong relationships and forge trust with the local community. It also means that we can bring research right to our patients’ doorsteps.
We’ve begun opening more studies and I see us opening up even more, looking at various health conditions and addressing inequalities in healthcare. I look forward to seeing how our team will grow from being a small team of four to a larger team in the future.