Developing career pathways for NMAHP clinical academic roles

Research-active healthcare organisations are associated with improved quality of care, patient experience and patient outcomes (Boaz et al., 2015). Appropriately skilled clinicians are necessary to lead, conduct and interpret research that progresses healthcare policy and practice (NHS England, 2014).

The development of clinical academic research careers (CARCs) for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) has been advocated for many years (UKCRC, 2007). However CARCs for NMAHPs have been implemented on a limited scale across the UK, and progress in Scotland has been particularly slow (Peters et al., 2024). 

Working in collaboration with NHS Education Scotland, this PhD will aim to identify what is needed to create sustainable clinical academic roles for NMAHPs in Scotland.

Suggested research questions: 

• What policies and models for implementing NMAHP CARCs have been developed and what does the evidence show to be key to success? (Review)
• What have been the enablers and barriers to establishing and embedding clinical academic NMAHPs within NHS Scotland from different stakeholder perspectives?  
• What would an optimal NMAHP CARC pathway look like in Scotland and what is required to successfully implement it? 
  How best could the impact of an NMAHP CARC pathway be evaluated?

Methods: realist evaluation methods likely approach but to be negotiated with successful candidate.