Saint Mary’s midwives receive studentship to pursue research
Congratulations to two Saint Mary’s midwives who have received two of just ten Health Education England (HEE) / National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Masters in Clinical Research Studentships, to support their studies at The University of Manchester and University of Leeds, respectively.
The Masters in Clinical Research course, which runs at a number of universities, is tailored for healthcare professionals who aspire to a career involving both clinical work and independent research, providing a comprehensive grounding in, and experience of, clinical research.
Kimberley Farrant and Tabitha Wishlade were both midwifery students at The University of Manchester when they first became interested in the aspect of research. Tabitha explained: “Studying at The University of Manchester and conducting our clinical training at Saint Mary’s hospital meant we were able to see first-hand the impact research has on improving and changing clinical practice.”
Kimberley added: “After having worked as midwives for a few years, we were both interested in getting involved in research at Saint Mary’s and finding out what skills were needed to conduct research ourselves.”
Kimberley’s research
Whilst working at Saint Mary’s, Kimberley gained research experience by working with Dr Alex Heazell. With a special interest in Stillbirth, their work focused on identifying and assessing the quality of information available on the Internet in relation to reduced fetal movements
Due to working full time as a midwife, Kimberley helped out with this research in her own time and it was when doing this she realised her passion for this area. Looking for a way to further develop her experience, Kimberley successfully applied for an HEE/NIHR Masters in Clinical Research Studentship at The University of Manchester to support her own independent research.
Kimberley’s research will focus on studying the management of reduce fetal movements and stillbirth, from initial treatment to follow up care, working with Drs Tracy Mills and Rebecca Smith.
Tabitha’s research
Tabitha’s first involvement in research was through the HEE Clinical Research Internship, which she was awarded last year. The internship supported a six month introduction to all aspects and roles across clinical academic research from trial design, data management through to undertaking practical research in a clinical environment.
During this six months Tabitha worked with Professor Tina Lavender on a review of patient recovery from obstetric fistulas. Having the experience of the internship put Tabitha in a great position to apply for the HEE/NIHR Masters in Clinical Research Studentship at The University of Leeds.
Tabitha’s research will look at how interpreters at Saint Mary’s Hospital perceive their professional identity and how this impacts on the interpreting process.
