The first cohort of new health profession graduates from across the UK have successfully completed an eight week research internship at the end of August. The ARUK funded project overseen by Prof Cathy Bowen and managed by Mary Fry at the University of Southampton is an excellent model of a collaborative internship project working with leading researchers at the Universities of Oxford, Salford, Leeds, Southampton and the West of England.
Darel Evans was the intern at Salford, a Physiotherapist by first degree who worked under the supervision of Prof Richard Jones to consider “Optimisation of footwear choices in the management of knee osteoarthritis”.
Within a short 8 week time-frame the six interns conducted substantial research in a number of projects all under-pinned with sound public health principles. They presented their high quality research findings in an informative dissemination day at the University of Leeds. Evaluation from the interns has demonstrated how valuable the Scheme is in introducing the brightest interns to a network of world-renowned researchers and linking their clinical roles with the latest research – benefiting patients with the latest evidence-based care.
Dr Anita Williams, who organised the scheme for Salford, comments “Darel’s internship was a real success for the department with a bright, enthusiastic researcher who’s hard and high quality work will likely lead to a peer reviewed publication”.
All of the interns have secured substantive posts – and plan to continue their careers in research in the future. They will all remain involved in the Scheme, providing mentorship for future cohorts, sharing their experiences and promoting the Scheme. Past schemes have shown that interns benefit from much faster career progression than their peers.
Some quotes from the 2016 interns include:
“I have enjoyed the internship experience so much and I would love to spread the word and inspire others to grab the opportunity…the Internship has completely changed my outlook on everything…and I now aspire to a career in research and ultimately achieving a clinical academic role”
“In relation to my career plans, my expectations have completely changed…The scheme has provided me with the skills, knowledge and contacts I need to build my profile and apply for future research opportunities”
The scheme is a three year project running until 2018 and is open to final year students in Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Podiatry and Physiotherapy who are predicted a 2:1 or 1st degree. Recruitment will begin at the beginning of Nov for the 2017 cohort. For further details please contact Mary Fry on m.l.fry@soton.ac.uk or Dr Carina Price at Salford who will now represent Salford on the organisation committee c.l.price@salford.ac.uk.