Page 32 - QARANC Vol 20 No 4 2023

32 The Gazette QARANC Association
‘I wasn’t
prepared for the
job offers that
came my way’
Obtaining a PhD needn’t be an
officer sport, and it can be achieved irrespective of rank, experience or perceived ability. SSgt Chris Elliott, who is living proof of this, shares his story.
In the Spring of 2015, I found myself sitting in the shade of tree in Benguema Camp, Sierra Leone having just finished a shift in the Ebola treatment facility. No sooner had I sat down I received an email confirming that I had passed my MSc in Advancing Practice.
The officer sitting beside me was very quick to congratulate me but almost as quick to tell me she didn’t see any point in a corporal having a masters’ degree and that she “had always thought that sort of thing was an officer sport”.
Frustrated by this comment, that same afternoon I applied for two PhD programmes. A knee jerk reaction to prove a point? Perhaps, but one which would change the course of my life for the eight years which followed.
Now in the Spring of 2023, I have finally graduated as Doctor of Advanced Healthcare Practice from Cardiff University. This short article aims to outline my experience of studying and researching at level 8 but more importantly, to demonstrate that if I can do it, so can you.
Having never done any ‘real’ research I was quite daunted when I received an invite to submit a proposal and attend interviews at Cardiff University. For anyone in any doubt, imposter syndrome is real! Sitting in a room surrounded by several lecturers and career academics waiting to present their proposals, there I was, only six years qualified and still a JNCO.
The interviewing professors were clearly aware of my naivety and couldn’t have been more encouraging. They helped craft my proposal into a feasible research project and I was offered a place on the professional doctorate that same day.
There are several types of research degree, but a professional doctorate is specifically designed for those working in full time roles or with no prior research experience. In my case, the course was entirely part time and consisted of two years of taught modules which included research and analysis techniques as well as ethics, statistics and writing workshops. These modules offered an opportunity to collaborate with other candidates and learn from experienced academics.
This part of the course really helped me prepare for the next four years of planning, conducting and writing up a research project.
Frustrated by this comment, that same afternoon
I applied
for two PhD programmes. A knee jerk reaction
to prove a point?
What followed was perhaps the most challenging but equally rewarding experience of my nursing career to date. It is difficult to describe the feelings associated with knowing you are about to commit several years to one project but, a mix of excitement and anxiety is certainly present.
Everyone says, ‘pick something that interests you’ and that is possibly the best advice I could offer anyone considering doctoral study. There will be times when you are thoroughly engrossed in your work but just as often, there will be those times when you cannot stand to even look it.
My project examined how nurses’ health beliefs changed over time in the context of their clinical exposure and involved interviewing several NHS nurses. Burnout, emotional injury and nurses’ attitudes are of particularly interest to me but, despite this it was still a seemingly never ended cycle of reading, writing and rewriting and so I reaffirm the advice ‘pick something that really interests you.’
A number of unexpected things happened as I navigated a path through my research journey. I started my studies as a Cpl and ended as a SSgt but these experiences transcend the move from junior to senior NCO.
Firstly, superiors found it very odd that an OR was conducting doctoral level study. Some were incredibly supportive and couldn’t do enough to facilitate me but there were plenty more who simply could not see the point of me conducting my studies