Research excellence

“I undertook primary research for my dissertation. My particular interest is in supporting nurses of the future. So when I noticed a gap in the literature around investigating student nurses’ experiences of research whilst on their clinical placements, I chose that as the topic of my research.

I carried out a qualitative study which involved interviewing pre-registration degree level student nurses about their experiences. Interviews were up to 30 minutes in length with additional time beforehand for informed consent and any questions.

The results of the study have been interesting:

• a better understanding of students’ research experiences on placements,
• students given a voice they previously did not have,
• some of the suggestions from participants implemented immediately.

I feel very proud that the student voice was taken seriously and they were able to see an immediate difference following their participation in the study.”

Claire works at James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Norfolk and is also the originator of the #WhyWeDoResearch twitter campaign – which has gone from local to global in the space of a few months. For more information see the Why we do research campaign website.

Dr Alexandra Wilson has worked extensively with the BBC and various opera companies in the UK and overseas. In particular, she has developed a sustained engagement with the audience of the Royal Opera House (ROH). The Commissioning Editor (Publications) for the ROH argues that Dr Wilson’s essays both deepen audiences’ understanding of the opera in question and encourage a heightened sense of participation in operatic culture more broadly. He comments that “all this makes for a more involved audience who are able to get greater benefit from opera in performance: when they learn more, they enjoy and value the experience and the culture more”.