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While waiting for a decision on my application for an NIHR Fellowship - Blog 2

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  This is a follow-up to the last blog describing my application process for the NIHR fellowship. As I await the outcome of my application, I am reminded of the intense activity that led to this point. My application was submitted in July, and I am eagerly anticipating the news of whether I have been shortlisted for an interview in November. A decision is expected by December. This is all in preparation for the potential start of the fellowship in May 2025. I am keen to do something productive during this time, partly because the topic interests me, and I see the need. However, I am limited in what I can do before I get funding. I do not want to waste this time, though. I want to be proactive and use this time to prepare myself—with the knowledge that if I am not successful, at least I have developed elements that can be used elsewhere. I realise there will also be several planning and communication elements I can start before May 2025. If I get an interview, I will do more of t...
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Applying for an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship as an ODP - Blog 1

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    Introduction Recently, I applied for an NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF). This blog looks at what that is, the process, and what I learnt. The hope is that it may highlight this route for those considering research careers and support those undertaking the application. I have, for a while, undertaken elements of research, published articles and book chapters – but other than supporting dissertations for my master's qualifications, this has been quite ad-hoc and informal. I had several times started to look at how I could pursue further study at PhD level to increase my knowledge and application of research but ended up going around in circles – especially as I was ideally after a way that would also cover my wage and hence pay my mortgage, etc. At work, I found myself increasingly drawn to patient safety activity, and I kept stumbling upon situations that sparked my curiosity and hinted at potential research opportunities. The th...
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Patient Safety, Simulation and Human Factors …Part II …the applications of simulation

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Out of all my blogs the one that seems to have stimulated most interest was the one I wrote on how simulation should be seen as part of patient safety activity ( click here for that blog )  rather than the typical thought that it is just a form of training and often just resuscitation training at that. Spurred on following some Twitter (@NWSEN) and face to face interactions I wanted to write a blog which built on this work and in particularly looking at the art of the possible and how simulation can, and in fact is, being used to support some of the emerging patient safety concepts.  Remember we are describing simulation as a spectrum of activity ( blog on this is here ) with a variety of underpinning educational theories aligned to the learning outcomes, these learning outcomes can be ones for the individual, team or organisation. Additionally simulation should be a quality assured education event that can be delivered in a variety of ways including with real peo...
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Distraction - sorry to interrupt, but can I just show you this ECG

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Distractions  Following a slight blogging holiday (bloggiday?) I thought it would be interesting to think about distractions - recently I helped deliver a human factors session at Walsall Manor Hospital, supporting a fantastic local Human Factors initiative that had seen a real culture change within the organisation.   The session I led was around distraction and cognition and allowed me over the day to start to draw together the discussions into some type of working model on how to reduce distractions.  The problem Fundamentally, I really do think that distractions are so commonplace in healthcare they are seen as the norm - to such an extent we are blind to them  how many times will the consultant in ED running the trauma call be asked to look at a 12 lead ECG for another patient in majors listen to the melee of alarms screaming for attention in a critical care area the staff member waiting slightly impatiently to discuss another patient while ...
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