NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility receives glowing report on placement from student nurse
Enhancements to the student nurse placement programme at the Children’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) have been reflected in their recent student evaluations.
Staff received excellent feedback through a recent student’s Practice Assessment Record and Evaluation, a survey that all students are required to complete at the end of a placement. The Children’s CRF has been using feedback from students and its staff to iteratively refine its placement programme over a number of years.
In the evaluation, the student (Year 2 Semester 3 student; 2017) described the CRF as:
(An) outstanding placement of which the patient care and facilities are exemplary, as are the student resources. The staff were keen to enhance the learning needs of each student to ensure that they have a positive learning experience. I gained a wealth of Knowledge and experience in such as short space of time and so I am grateful to all members of the CRF. Thank you!
Lauren Lindley, Senior Clinical Research Nurse, Children’s CRF at CMFT explains:
“Following our 2015 student audit, where we reviewed placement evaluations and discussed our opinions of recent student experiences, we realised that we could do more to tailor this placement to their needs. In year 1 of their training, students typically haven’t reached the point where they have given much thought to where new treatments come from, so their preference tends to be on spending time in a more routine clinical setting within a hospital.
“We are now focusing on giving placement opportunities to students in their second year, where they have a greater understanding of where research fits in. Children and young people who participate in our research studies often have long-term conditions, sometimes conditions where there is currently no effective treatment and families may decide that an experimental medicine and clinical research is the best option for them.
“In a CRF, there can be days where there are no participant visits and staff will be concentrating on the admin side of their role. Prior to such days we are able to liaise with various MDT members and ward areas to arrange spoke placements for students. This ensures they are kept busy and continually learning, making the most of opportunities for exposure to other branches and ensuring they meet all of their placement objectives.
Watch our video Lauren and colleague, Jessica Lacey, talking about their experiences of being a research nurse.
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) also operates an adult’s research unit on Grafton Street. From 1 April 2017, the three Manchester CRFs (CMFT [children’s and adults], The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust) have come together until a single management structure and are collectively called the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility. The CRF is committed to attracting, training and retaining the best research professionals.
Moving forward the CRF will be developing a Greater Manchester-wide training programme, in collaboration with the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre. Manchester’s plans include training opportunities for medical students, including trainee doctors, pharmacists, nurses and healthcare cadets; internships for research healthcare professionals; a MRes in Experimental Medicine; as well as workplace mentorships and other development opportunities for CRF staff.
