Placement Overview
| Placement Title | Acute Research Delivery Team (ARDT) |
| Trust | Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trusts |
| Your Placement Contact | Reece Doonan- Team Leader – Send Email |
| Placement Address | CSB Ground Floor. Room 105 Stott lane, Salford, M6 8HD |
| Placement City/Town: | Salford |
| Placement Phone | 0161 206 2188 |
| Your University Contact: | Cath Savin – Send Email |
About this placement
What is organised for students on commencement of placement?
All students will receive the ‘Welcome Pack’ when you make first contact with the team. You will receive all the information regarding what to expect during your placement with the acute research team. You will be given your first two weeks of off duty.
On your first day you will receive a local induction to the placement area and your initial paperwork completed in PARE. You’ll also receive the remaining off duty for the remainder of your placement within your first week.
If you have any particular access requirements please make contact with the Reece (Team Lead) as soon as possible.
What are the arrangements for mentors/assessors?
You will be assigned an Assessor and a Supervisor for this placement. These will be detailed on the front of your welcome pack. You’ll receive this via email when you contact the research team on knowing your placement allocation. You’ll be given a printed version of this on your first day.
What shift patterns are students allocated for learning?
The Acute Research Delivery Team working pattern is:
Monday to Friday
7am to 7:30pm (Shift Pattern)
Shift Notes:
You will be rostered to work three long days a week.
What patient care situations are available in this placement?
In this placement with the Acute Research Delivery Team, patient care situations will primarily involve working alongside clinical areas such as hyper acute stroke, neurosurgical, critical care, and trauma and emergency care. Key aspects of the role will include assessing patients’ eligibility for participation in clinical trials, particularly in time-sensitive and critical scenarios.
This will involve screening patients, assessing their capacity for recruitment, and collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to ensure timely and appropriate enrolment into a range of clinical trials. Additionally, patient care situations may require managing complex cases where quick decisions are needed to maintain trial integrity and patient safety.
In addition to patient care and trial recruitment, this placement will also involve data collection and accurate transcribing of patient information. This will include gathering clinical data necessary for trial eligibility, documenting patient outcomes, and ensuring that all relevant information is captured in compliance with research protocols.
Data management is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the clinical trials, and this will require meticulous attention to detail when inputting information into research databases. The role may also involve handling sensitive patient information, ensuring confidentiality and adherence to ethical standards in clinical research.
What nursing model is used for planning care?
In this placement, the nursing model used for planning care is likely based on a collaborative, patient-centred approach, integrating aspects of both research and acute clinical care.
Given the focus on hyper acute stroke, neurosurgical, critical care, trauma, and emergency care, a holistic nursing model such as the Activities of Living Model (Roper-Logan-Tierney) or the Orem’s Self-Care Model may be applied. These models emphasise assessing patients’ physical, psychological, and social needs while focusing on individualised care planning.
In the context of research delivery, the nursing model will also prioritise continuous assessment, rapid decision-making, and multidisciplinary teamwork to ensure that patient care aligns with both clinical and research objectives. Care planning will be structured around the patient’s immediate health needs, eligibility for research trials, and ongoing monitoring to optimise outcomes while adhering to research protocols.
What core clinical skills can be learnt?
In this placement with the acute research delivery team, several core clinical skills can be developed, particularly in critical and time-sensitive care settings. These skills include:
1. Patient Assessment: Conducting comprehensive assessments of patients, including neurological assessments for hyper acute stroke and trauma patients, to determine eligibility for clinical trials.
2. Capacity Assessment: Evaluating a patient’s mental and physical capacity to consent to research participation.
3. Clinical Decision-Making: Developing the ability to make quick, evidence-based decisions in time-critical situations, such as during stroke and trauma care, while balancing research and clinical care needs.
4. Data Collection and Documentation: Gaining skills in accurately collecting, transcribing, and managing clinical data relevant to research trials, ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.
5. Multidisciplinary Teamwork: Enhancing communication and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to ensure the smooth delivery of patient care and research interventions.
6. Venepuncture and Cannulation: Performing procedures such as venepuncture and cannulation, which may be necessary for trial interventions or routine patient care.
7. Shadowing / Observation: Medicines administration and/or clinical trial drug administration and documentation of how these range of drugs are delivered. Monitoring of adverse events.
8. Monitoring and Evaluation: Using critical care monitoring equipment to track patient status, vital signs, and outcomes, essential for both acute care and clinical trial requirements.
These skills not only apply to acute clinical settings but also provide a foundation for future roles in research nursing and advanced practice.
What additional clinical skills can be learnt?
In this placement, several additional clinical skills can be learned that go beyond core competencies, particularly in the context of research and specialised acute care:
1. Advanced Neurological Assessment: Enhancing skills in advanced neurological exams for patients with stroke or traumatic brain injuries, including using specialised tools like the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
2. Critical Care Monitoring: Developing proficiency in operating advanced critical care equipment such as ventilators, intracranial pressure monitors, and other life-support systems, particularly in neurosurgical and trauma settings.
3. Consent for Research Trials: Learning how to obtain informed consent for participation in clinical trials, including gaining a deeper understanding of ethical considerations in acute and emergency situations.
4. Management of Time-Critical Interventions: Refining skills in managing and coordinating time-sensitive interventions, particularly in hyper acute stroke and trauma patients, to ensure alignment with both clinical care and research protocols. Such as Interventional Radiology treatments (Thrombectomy).
5. Administration of Investigational Medications: Gaining experience in administering/observation of trial-specific investigational medications or interventions, while closely monitoring patient response and safety.
6. Handling Adverse Events: Learning how to manage and report adverse events or complications that arise during clinical trials, ensuring prompt intervention and accurate documentation.
These additional clinical skills will enhance your ability to provide specialised care while contributing to critical research efforts, preparing you for more advanced roles in both clinical practice and research settings.
What resources are available to help students learning?
In this placement, a variety of resources are available to support your learning and professional development:
1. Clinical Assessors and Supervisors: Experienced nurses, research staff, and clinical supervisors are available to provide guidance, feedback, and support throughout the placement. They offer one-on-one opportunities – helping students develop both clinical and research skills.
2. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT): Working alongside a diverse team, including doctors, specialists, and allied health professionals, offers the opportunity to observe and learn from different perspectives and areas of expertise.
3. Research Protocols and Guidelines: Access to clinical research protocols, ethical guidelines, and trial documentation helps students understand the standards and regulations governing research in acute care settings.
4. Learning Modules and E-Learning: Online learning platforms and modules specific to the clinical areas and research protocols may be available, offering resources on topics such as neurological assessment, consent processes, and data management.
5. Simulation Training: Some opportunities may offer simulation-based learning, where students can practice critical care scenarios, emergency interventions, and research trial protocols in a controlled environment before applying them in real clinical settings.
6. Library and Online Databases: Access to hospital libraries and online medical databases, such as PubMed and Cochrane, allows students to research evidence-based practices, stay current with new developments in acute care and research delivery, and deepen their understanding of trial methodologies.
Note: There is an expectation of independent learning throughout the placement to create presentations based on the scenarios you’ve come across.
7. Reflective Practice Sessions: Opportunities to engage in reflective practice with supervisors or peers to discuss challenges and learning experiences, helping students integrate theoretical knowledge with practical application. Due to the nature of the team working at advanced nursing level this is an opportunity to scope/awareness of difference roles and responsibilities.
What research and practice development activities are being undertaken?
Similar to the content above, this placement within the acute research delivery team, several research and practice development activities are being undertaken to improve patient outcomes and advance clinical knowledge:
1. Clinical Trials: The team is actively involved in recruiting, screening, and enrolling patients in a variety of clinical trials focused on hyper acute stroke, neurosurgical care, critical care, and trauma. These trials aim to assess the efficacy of new treatments, interventions, and medical devices in time-critical settings.
2. Time-Critical Research: Many of the research trials are time-sensitive, particularly in areas such as stroke and trauma care, where rapid intervention is crucial. The team works on quick identification of eligible patients and ensuring timely recruitment.
3. Practice Development in Acute Care: The integration of research into everyday practice supports the development of evidence-based protocols. For instance, findings from ongoing trials in stroke and critical care are translated into clinical guidelines to enhance patient care in real-time.
4. Capacity and Consent Research: Given the nature of acute care, research is being conducted on ethical issues such as patient capacity, particularly in emergency settings, where obtaining informed consent may be challenging. This includes developing strategies to assess patient capacity quickly and ethically.
5. Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Research and practice development are being driven by close collaboration between multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), where nursing, medical, and allied health professionals work together to support research delivery of our clinical trials/studies.
6. Innovations in Patient Monitoring and Data Collection: Research activities also focus on improving methods of patient monitoring and data collection, particularly in critical care settings, where continuous monitoring of physiological parameters can lead to better insights and outcomes in clinical trials. You will be able to observe data collection and participate in this.
These research and practice development activities contribute to advancing the quality of care in hyper acute and critical care settings, while also fostering innovation and improving patient outcomes through evidence-based practices.
Spoke Placements
These are detailed in your Welcome Pack and are available in more detail in the Student Folder which will be shown to you on your first day/first week.
Additional Information
Web address: https://www.ncaresearch.org.uk/