Fostering early research readiness among undergraduate nurses and midwives to support the national clinical research impetus: A discussion paper

Folliard, Kelda, Sanders, Ruth and Waterfall, Katherine (2025) Fostering early research readiness among undergraduate nurses and midwives to support the national clinical research impetus: A discussion paper. Nurse Education in Practice, 89. ISSN 1471-5953

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Abstract

Aim: This discussion paper examines the challenge for educators to robustly prepare health undergraduates for research active careers and therefore align with the UK national clinical research delivery impetus. Background: There is a growing national drive for increased non-medical clinical research capability in NHS organisations, recognising improved patient outcomes and clinician experiences where nurses and midwives are research engaged. Modernised career pathways with research central are gaining momentum with renewed recognition of the joint responsibility for research career development from pre-registration across universities and NHS organisations. Design: This paper discusses the current political and pedagogical landscape related to health research learning and careers and includes informal insights from an undergraduate research internship programme for student midwives offered at a UK Higher Education Institution. Methods: Contemporary literature was sought via purposive selection of key documents relating to research-based teaching and learning, challenges and issues of accessibility. Insights from the internship programme contextualise this within the learner experience. Results: Alongside commitment to supporting research teaching resource and educators enabled to role model research activity, experiential and innovative approaches to research learning can enliven undergraduates to a research career. However, such experiences must be appropriately evaluated and issues of access addressed. Conclusions: Educators across clinical and academic settings must use current understanding around the optimal pedagogical practice to support effective research learning for health undergraduates, using robustly evaluated, accessible approaches to meet evolving clinical healthcare workforce needs and have a positive impact on population health.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	research capability,research education,nursing education,midwifery education,health education
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Mental Health and Social Care (fka Lifespan Health)
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	07 Nov 2025 12:30
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2025 12:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100931
DOI:	10.1016/j.nepr.2025.104596

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