15 February 2018
Rupal Patel has worked as an acute dietitian in the NHS for 10 years and as a cardiothoracic dietitian at Harefield Hospital for the past four years. Her role involves providing nutritional care to patients from the pre-transplant stage onwards and across various settings ranging from intensive care to outpatients.
She also recently completed her Master of Research degree (MRes) at City University, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). She talks us through the decisions behind her chosen degree and what she hopes to do in the future.
What made you decide to do an MRes?
The transplant therapies team have always been encouraged to actively participate in research. We have an allied health professionals (AHPs) transplant research group that regularly meet to discuss research ideas and projects that focus on evaluating current care and improving services to patients. On top of that, I also undertook the researcher development programme back in 2015, so a masters was a really just a natural progression for me.
Does the research that you did for your MRes feed into your clinical work?
My research project was a cross-sectional study looking at the associations of potential obesogenic factors with weight gain after a heart transplant. This project, in particular, was chosen because patients can sometimes gain an average of 10kg after a heart transplant. This weight gain is frequently attributed to immunosuppressive therapy, namely steroids, although evidence for this is inconclusive. Treating this weight gain is a challenging aspect of my role and this project was chosen to explore this area further.
What support, if any, did you receive from your team and the Trust?
The transplant team were very supportive of the project and helped me with the design and feasibility of my project idea. The research team provided advice on the ethics application, in particular, the patient and public involvement aspect. Paula Rogers, research nurse, acted as a mentor on one of my university modules and was also instrumental on advice about optimising participant recruitment as well as practical advice on the ethics application.
What made you decide to take part in the researcher development programme in 2015?
As mentioned, the transplant therapy team were involved in a research group that met regularly. Although the group provided a great platform for generating research ideas, I felt I was lacking in some core research skills. Taking part in the researcher development programme seemed like the perfect way to get an understanding of the processes involved in conducting clinical research. As the programme was tailored specifically for AHPs, I felt it would be a supportive environment to learn with colleagues from a similar background.
How did it help prepare you for the MRes?
The programme provided me with a brief overview of the various aspects of research. It gave me an upper hand for the MRes as I had already gained knowledge and insight into some of the module areas. It also highlighted other organisations and support available to AHPs that I was previously unaware of. This included support available within the Trust from the research office and also from the NIHR.
Has doing the MRes changed your career goals in any way?
I have always known I wanted to be involved in research after completing my dietetics degree at university. The MRes allowed me to develop new skills and has also increased my confidence in the types of research projects I can conduct in the future, rather than being limited to audits and service evaluations.
What would you like to do next?
I am keen to disseminate the findings of my project and I have recently had an abstract accepted for a poster presentation at the 2018 annual meeting of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant. I am also working on writing up my project for publication in the near future. A PhD is something I would definitely consider in the future, however, at present I am keen to build on the new skills I have learned by conducting more projects with robust research designs.
What general advice would you give to clinical staff interested in getting into research?
A very simple way to explore interests in research is to shadow colleagues at the Trust who are actively involved in research. Offering to help on existing research projects can give you an insight into what conducting research actually involves. Also, I personally found it really helpful to have mentors in the Trust who are experienced researchers and can offer you support.
And finally, what’s your one top tip for aspiring colleagues in pursuit of a similar pathway?
I would say to do the researcher development programme as a starting point; it will provide you with a good foundation and highlight all potential avenues available to you in order to progress.
If you would like to find out more about the course or are considering applying for research funding please contact the Trust’s research office.