PhD Studentships for nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals

We have teamed up with NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands to offer up to three PhD studentships in applied healthcare. Applicants must be employed as healthcare practitioners in the East Midlands, not working in the fields of medicine or dentistry.

• PhDs must align to HEE Mandate priority areas and to the CLAHRC’s objectives.
• PhDs must demonstrate how they will add value to NHS provider organisations.

Applicants must work with a University based in the East Midlands that has a successful track record of NHS applied research. This University must provide evidence that they have agreed to host the studentship. It is important that evidence of this agreement is sought before making the application, as applications will not be accepted without this. Successful applicants will be registered and based at an East Midlands University of their choice.

Supervisory teams (comprised of two academics and one clinician) should be identified by applicants prior to submission. Academic supervisors should have links to the CLAHRC, or should apply to become a faculty member prior to the funding application being submitted.

Successful applicants will be expected to visit research sites on a regular basis, and so should be able to travel freely.

Funding

Each studentship comes with a yearly stipend at current RCUK rates (£14,553) plus Home/EU tuition fees (£4,195). Full time (3 years) or part time study (up to 6 years, pro rata funding) is possible.

No research costs are available to cover data collection expenses. Please be mindful of this when outlining your proposed work, or explain how such costs would be covered and by whom.

It is expected that in order to bring the stipend up to NHS salary equivalent of applicants, that either matched funding from the employing organisation will be offered as part of the application (and evidence of this provided), or successful applicants can, with their supervisors’ approval, work up to a maximum of 16 hours a week (if in full time study). If the latter route is chosen, the clinical hours would be on top of the student’s full time PhD workload/hours. Applicants that can offer some level of matched funding may be favoured over others.

Applying for the PhDs

Applicants should be:

• employed by an NHS organisation or an organisation that provides NHS care (i.e. social enterprise) in the East Midlands as a non-medical clinical professional (for example, AHP, Nurse, Midwife; other eligible professions are listed here;
• have a 2.1 or higher Honours degree in a relevant discipline, a good knowledge of healthcare and an interest in applied, healthcare improvement research;
• applicants with a Masters degree are especially welcomed to applyHome/EU candidates only due to funding restrictions; and
• available from September 2017 for three years (full time study) or up to six years (if part time study).

To apply, applicants should send the following information to Alice.Phillips@nottingham.ac.uk:

• A Personal Statement demonstrating how your experience to date prepares you to undertake PhD level research, and which University you wish to study at.
• A research proposal (maximum of 2000 words) that explicitly addresses the work you would carry out, detailing how it is linked to the HEE Mandate and the CLAHRC’s objectives, and how the research will add value to the NHS. Names and contact details of proposed supervisors should also be included.
• A current CV (two pages maximum).
• Two full references (one academic/one clinical) – not contact details (references can be sent separately, directly to Alice Phillips, if wished).
• A statement of support from your employer, including details of any funding provided.
• Evidence from an East Midlands University that they have agreed to host your PhD if you are awarded a studentship.
• PDF copies of your degree certificates and transcripts, and professional registration.
• Evidence of English Language proficiency (IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any element, or equivalent) if your first language is not English.

Please quote ref: CLAHRC / HEE PhD 2017 on all correspondence.

Closing date: 23.59pm (BST) on Sunday 7 May 2017. Applications received after this time will not be considered. Applications not including any of the above information will not be shortlisted.

Interviews will be held in Nottingham or Leicester on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 June.