Set up your own research project
Doing a research project for the organisation you are currently working for will get you noticed as a practitioner who is interested in research. Your project doesn't have to be elaborate but you do need to make sure you understand protocols around patient and public involvement in your research, and get all ethics approvals first. Make sure you approach your manager when getting started.
If you work in clinical settings you will often find that people are enthusiastic about your research into their experience or service they use. As well as being an important stepping-stone for future grant applications, setting up your own project will also give you important practical experience of the research life – so you can find out if it’s for you.
“A couple of colleagues and I realised that we shared an interest in research and finding out stuff. We were curious and we were interested in policy relevant research so we just applied for ethics approval for a really small-scale study because we just fancied doing it!”
- Ben Hannigan, Professor of Mental Health Nursing
“We’ve got a question to ask here. Why do we get on and go and answer it… And we went and got the study done, and we published it!”
- Ben Hannigan, Professor of Mental Health Nursing