In her new role as an academic clinical fellow in vascular surgery, our Launch Pad columnist Sarah Sillito (Newcastle, UK) writes about the importance of creating a research-confident workforce at the medical school level.
The first Wednesday in August marks the start of a new year for most doctors in the UK, whether that involves starting as a newly qualified doctor, embarking on a new training programme or progressing up the rungs of the training ladder. For me, this year, it was the start of my role as an academic clinical fellow in vascular surgery. I am excited to work with the research team and look forward to seeing what direction my research goes in.
The world of clinical academia can feel daunting at first with many very knowledgeable and experienced people analysing data and statistics, asking difficult questions and using seemingly alien terminology. I confess that it was not a direction I thought my career would go in when I first qualified. Reflecting on my time at university, I do not think I was made aware of clinical research as a career until a talk in final year about applying for what was then called the Academic Foundation Programme and it did not appeal to me. A few years later, I found myself in the fortunate position of working in a department with research-active clinicians who encouraged me to help with their projects and I found an area of research that I enjoyed. In my limited experience of working within clinical academia it has been great to see the number of medical students keen to help with projects and the increasing number of initiatives connecting students and trainees with mentors who can facilitate access to research opportunities.
The multiple demands that have been placed on healthcare and the rapid development of technology means the way of promoting health and treating ill-health is changing. The emphasis on providing evidence-based medicine is taught from early on in medical school. It should go further though and teach how exactly research underpins these decisions and how clinicians can be involved in improving patient outcomes.
Developing competencies in clinical research should start early on in medical school so that we have a workforce that is confident in engaging in both local and national research opportunities and communicating opportunities to patients and the public. The knock-on effect of this could spread far and wide. Evidence shows that clinically active research hospitals have better patient outcomes and patients are more confident in the staff.1,2 More early awareness of clinical research could potentially lead to increased recruitment of doctors with an academic interest and having this extra component to a career could help retain workforce numbers and reduce burnout from clinical work and perhaps even increase recruitment to understaffed specialties. Most importantly, being proactive and engaging in clinical research drives innovation and change. A career in clinical research is not for everyone, but clinical research is a part of everyone’s role and future and ensures that healthcare delivery is always evolving and meeting the needs of society.
References
- Ozdemir BA, Karthikesalingam A, Sinha S, et al. Research activity and the association with mortality. PLoS One. 2015 Feb 26;10(2):e0118253. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118253. PMID: 25719608; PMCID: PMC4342017.
- Jonker L, Fisher SJ, Dagnan D. Patients admitted to more researchactive hospitals have more confidence in staff and are better informed about their condition and medication: Results from a retrospective cross-sectional study. J Eval Clin Pract. 2020; 26: 203–208. https:// doi.org/10.1111/jep.13118
Sarah Sillito is a core surgical trainee in the North East of England and education rep for the Rouleaux Club.
