{"id":1226,"date":"2024-11-18T15:50:26","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T05:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/caring-futures-institute\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2024-11-19T09:39:37","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T23:09:37","slug":"providing-the-support-to-make-phd-studies-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/caring-futures-institute\/2024\/11\/18\/providing-the-support-to-make-phd-studies-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Providing the support to make PhD studies possible"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Medical innovations and improvements often stem from PhD studies, but the prospect of juggling work, personal and financial commitments with additional studies can seem overwhelming to aspiring candidates. Fortunately, PhD pathways exist that provide the necessary help to promote higher studies.<\/p>\n

Thanks to an innovative PhD pathway, senior cardiac nurse Dr Anita Lymn recently completed her PhD at Flinders University and has now embarked on a new career path that combines clinical practice with academia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn nursing, you usually have to leave the clinical space and go full-time to a university to pursue a PhD, but the PhD pathway I chose allowed me to stay at the bedside and do work with patients while I studied, which therefore informs evidence-based practice,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Dr Anita Lymn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Anita had long been keen to pursue higher studies, she had considered it too difficult to fund a degree while forfeiting work and also juggling family duties.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, she was deemed an ideal candidate for a practice-engaged PhD that Flinders University was keen to support. While Anita continued working part time in the Cardiac Care unit at Flinders Medical Centre, she was also financially supported by Flinders University and the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) for the three-year duration of her PhD studies, which were also fully funded.<\/p>\n

The arrangement proved very beneficial \u2013 especially through having her PhD supervised by Professor Robyn Clark, recently-retired senior clinician and researcher at Flinders, and Professor Derek Chew, former regional Director of Cardiology for SAHLN. They not only gave Anita the confidence to succeed, but also provided access to myriad resource avenues that expanded Anita\u2019s research scope, at SAHMRI, Flinders\u2019 Caring Futures Institute and the research department at Flinders Medical Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changed how I understood research. I was advised to stop thinking like a nurse, who are always in a hurry to get in there and fix something. A researcher has to take a different perspective, to examine a problem scientifically and test a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anita\u2019s\u00a0research\u00a0is about creating a culture that builds and maintains excellence in delivering quality patient care. Her study, “A nurse in the room”, is about re-engineering the Cardiology ward round to include greater input from nurses and improve efficiency in care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research stemmed from a common discussion among nurses that had never been formally catalogued,\u201d explains Anita. \u201cNurses can no longer get onto ward rounds in cardiac units because they are bound to computers, and this affects patient outcomes, but my research shows you get more efficient decision-making when a nurse is also involved in ward rounds with cardiac teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anita describes her PhD journey as an \u201cincredible opportunity\u201d and sees that the results of her research will make difference to improve nursing activities in hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing from an experienced point-of-view has provided a specific focus to my research, and means it can drive change to nursing practice that is beneficial,\u201d says Anita.<\/p>\n

Professor Tiffany Conroy, is the Deputy Dean for Nursing Leadership and Innovation in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, as well as Professor of Nursing and Director of Nursing and Midwifery Research, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. Professor Conroy says the success of the Anita\u2019s PhD pathway illustrates to other great candidates that they don\u2019t have to remove themselves from clinical work or practice to study at the highest level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quality of mentoring and guidance that Anita received will hopefully inspire others to also reach out and develop their research skills with Flinders, through pursuing a PhD that either taps into existing projects, or taps into your existing expertise to help realise an entirely new project,\u201d says Professor Conroy.<\/p>\n

Anita hopes to provide an inspiration for other nurses to also explore their research ideas \u2013 and show that the mix of continuing work while pursuing a PhD pathway is possible. \u201cNurses are asking a lot of really good questions about patient care, and they can have an opportunity to explore these through PhD studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information or get in touch:<\/p>\n